


Life Goes On

by AndyWBlackstorn



Series: Through Chrissie's eyes (alternative universe) [41]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Queen (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Romance, Through Chrissie's eyes, through Chrissie's eyes verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 57,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22464028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyWBlackstorn/pseuds/AndyWBlackstorn
Summary: Playing Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody was quite a journey for Rami, Gwilym, Ben and Joe. Even after the finished filming, premiere, promotion and awards, participating in this project continued to influence their lives in ways they could barely imagine. (takes place in the alternate universe of "Through Chrissie's eyes").
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Georgia Deacon (OC), Ben Hardy/Original Female Character(s), Gwilym Lee/Louisa May, Joe Mazzello/Jane Glouster (OC), Joe Mazzello/Original Female Character(s), Lucy Boynton/Rami Malek
Series: Through Chrissie's eyes (alternative universe) [41]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1324115
Comments: 51
Kudos: 18





	1. Daddy's news

**Author's Note:**

> "Life Goes On" is part of the universe of the story "Through Chrissie's eyes" and is fundamentally based on the version of the film and its fictional version of the members of Queen, and the cast of the film, being structured mainly in the narrative line of the movie.
> 
> It's understood that a work of fiction grants some creative freedoms, and it's by using poetic license, and exploring hypothetical situations that I decided to modify real facts for the story, configuring it as an alternative universe.
> 
> However, despite the changes, it's understood that the characters remain faithful to what has already been established within their personalities, changing some aspects and events. Still, it's worth mentioning that I maintain respect for facts that happened to Queen members and the cast in real life, and it's up to readers to consider real life as something very different from this work of fiction. Once again I highlight, the version of the characters in the story is fictitious, not being completely related to the real people represented.

Gwilym did his best not to show his excitement to Louisa. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was technically two months, the day he had waited for finally came.

He prepared breakfast, buying time for his wife, Louisa had recently returned to work and both the couple and their little girl were still adapting to the change. They had argued together whether to hire a nanny or leave her in a nursery, but Mom and Dad's heart sank just thinking about their little girl away from them. For now, Gwilym was at home and could take care of their daughter all day, and Louisa was only absent in the morning, in the afternoon she was at home too and the two shared the task, however, Mrs. Lee didn't know that this was about to change.

"I'd give you a ride, but you know how Di is like" Gwilym regretted not being able to take his wife to work, as he always did, since Edith didn't like being in the car seat and cried a lot when that happened.

"No problem, I understand" Lou smiled "it's better this way, so we don't annoy Edith."

"Okay, at least I can accompany you down there" he suggested and Louisa agreed.

The three Lees went down the elevator, some residents who knew them stopped to say hi and even play a little with Edith, which made the little girl laugh.

"This is my cue, family" Louisa turned to her husband and daughter "don't worry, time will fly by and soon I'm back."

"Ok, have a good day at work" Gwilym wished.

"Thanks" Louisa nodded and kissed her daughter's face "bye, my love, mommy is back soon, I love you both very much."

"We love you too too" he replied with the same feeling and kissed his wife.

Only then did they separate, taking opposite paths. While Edith played, her father divided his gaze between her and the cell phone. Not that Gwilym was a modern, obsessed and distracted father, that wasn't the point. He wanted to know if he could tell Louisa when she got back what he had been keeping for two months.

Thinking about his wife's reaction already made Gwilym nervous, but thinking about how the whole family would react made him even more apprehensive. His parents and siblings would say their congratulations and how proud they were of him, Louisa's family, or they would burst with happiness, pass out or beat him for not saying anything all this time. Maybe Zac would be upset, but Brian and Chrissie would be understanding as always, he was counting on it.

At one point, Edith stared at her father, completely confused, as if she were trying to guess what had left Gwilym so quiet.

"I know, Di, Daddy has quite an imagination" he replied, then laughed, she ended up laughing with him.

Gwil waited a little longer, looked at the clock, went down to the lobby to pick up the mail, let Edith play with the neighbors for a while on the way back to the apartment. When father and daughter were home again, he sighed and ran to check his cell phone. He took a look at Edith, seeing how she was doing, and only then did he look at the website he'd been accessing all morning.

Right there was the ad for which he waited so long, he saw only his photo and his name, there was no name of the character, but the name of the show was there. The mystery had finally been revealed, and the weight of the secret had just left Gwilym and made him much lighter.

"Yes, yes, yes!" he celebrated, taking Edith on his lap, dancing with her all over the room, kissing her face "Daddy has a really cool thing to tell Mom."

Still excited, Gwilym prepared lunch, being busy helped to pass the time. So with everything ready, until the table was set, just waiting for Louisa, he checked the clock for the thousandth time in the day, it was five minutes before she arrived.

He and Edith sat in the living room, just waiting for the moment when the front door would open and Louisa would arrive. This then happened, Gwilym tried to contain himself but ran to her, holding Edith in her lap.

"Hi, how are you?" she greeted, observing the two "you seem to be in a hurry, honey, did someone call you about some work?"

"Oh no, that's not it, you're right I'm in a hurry, but let's eat first, you must be hungry" Gwilym prioritized the needs of his wife as a good gentleman.

"Okay" Louisa agreed.

The couple sat down sharing the meal, Gwilym had given Edith lunch earlier. For him, the ideal time had finally come for him to tell what he wanted so much.

"Lou, did you access the internet today?" he started the subject like this, vaguely, so as not to scare her.

"Ah, not really, you know how the rush is at work" she replied "even on the subway, I didn't check anything, I was reading the newspaper."

"Oh great, great!" He was suddenly excited, which Louisa was surprised.

"Something happened" that's what she deduced and commented.

"Yes, I wanted to be the first to tell you" he sighed deeply, then opened a long smile "you realized that I was asking you a lot about History and I re-watched Doctor Who, practically entirely."

"Yeah, I was surprised, but I didn't say anything, I just thought it was your curiosity and fanaticism" replied Louisa.

"The real reason I did this is that the last test I did was to be the next Doctor companion and I passed that test" he said extremely happy "Louisa, I'm going to work on Doctor Who."

"You will ... You will ..." she lost her breath at the news "my God, this is amazing, amazing, amazing!"

She stood up and gave her husband a tight hug, celebrating the news, showing her joy and pride.

"When did you hear about it? And why didn't you tell me soon?" she filled him with questions.

"Since I retake the test" he looked at her, still holding her "I really wanted to tell you, but I couldn't, you know about the contracts of discretion, not to leak any information ahead of time."

"I understand, so that's why you asked if I had seen anything on the internet, they released the news today, didn't they?" Louisa deduced.

"That's right" he confirmed.

"Ah Gwilym, this is so cool! It will be the best job of your life" she declared, wondering how much fun and exciting it would be for her husband.

"I know it will be one of the best, for sure" he corrected slightly.

Gwilym thought it was wonderful to be an actor, because without having played Brian May, he wouldn't have met Louisa, and now they were there sharing the joy of him being able to work on his favorite show, not only his, but hers as well.


	2. The family's reaction

If there was anyone who was always on the lookout for Doctor Who, it was the May family. Chrissie and Brian watched television when they saw a small ad in the BBC commercials and were taken aback when they saw that their son-in-law would be the next companion to Doctor's adventures.

"It's Gwilym, it's really Gwilym!" Brian repeated.

"Yes, yes, I know, I see it!" Chrissie agreed with a smile "that's great, he must be so happy!"

"And I'm happy for him!" Brian continued excited, which prompted him to call Gwilym immediately.

"Hi, Brian, how can I help you?" he said cordially to his father-in-law.

"I want to congratulate you on your new role, we hear it about it" explained May "Doctor Who, Gwil, it's just the greatest show of all time!"

"Yeah, I know, that's why I'm also concerned, it's a big responsibility, with the fans, which includes you" smiled the actor "I hope to do my best."

"I know you will, I saw up close how excellent you are at what you do" his father-in-law praised "well, I'll leave you alone, give a kiss to Lou and Edith for me."

"I will, bye, and thanks" Gwilym ended the call.

Receiving Brian's support made him content and calmer. The news of his new work was spreading. During the week he spoke with his parents and siblings, the Lees knew about the greatness of the show and how good it would be for Gwilym's career by increasing its visibility. Their little boy was conquering the world, and they couldn't be more proud.

The following week, Gwilym prepared for his first table reading, the occasion when the actors read the script for the season all together. It wasn't surprising that the newcomer to the class felt nervous, but extremely excited to start the new job.

Chris Chibnall, the showrunner and lead writer, came to greet him, talking to Gwilym until the entire team arrived. With each in their place, Chris himself made a point of starting the meeting and, first of all, introducing the new cast member.

"Hi guys, good morning, welcome to Doctor Who again!" the showrunner started, excited, the claps, screams and whistles followed, celebrating the return, while Gwilym had a more restrained reaction "first of all I want to say how good it is to see you again, I missed you all, and I believe that we will be united once again to make a great season."

More applause followed.

"Well, I think everyone noticed a new face here" Chris joked, looking at Gwilym !this is the fantastic Gwilym Lee, who is joining our family, he will play our new companion, Terry Clay!"

They clapped again, Gwilym thanked him with a simple smile, Chris gestured for him to say a few words.

"Hi, guys, as Chris said I'm Gwilym Lee and I'm playing Terry Clay in this new Doctor Who season" he introduced himself "I just wanted to say that it's a great honor to be here, it's very special for me because I'm a fan of the series and being part of it is wonderful, but it is also a big responsibility and I want to live up to it all."

Other applause came and then everyone sat down to read the script, there was laughter, pauses, notes; for the actors, the beginning of understanding and studying their characters for this season, especially Gwilym.

After all, Jodie Whittaker made a point of talking to him.

"Hi, Gwilym, it's great to meet you" Jodie gave him a warm hug "welcome!"

"Oh thank you, thank you" he was flattered "hearing this from the Doctor herself is a great gift."

"Thank you" she smiled at his reference "so see you tomorrow, partner."

"Sure, Jodie" he replied "bye."

"Goodbye" she said and left.

Before Gwilym could go home, too, a call from Louisa stopped him, he answered immediately.

"Hi, are you all right?" he answered.

"Yeah, I hope I'm not disturbing you, you said the meeting would be over by that time" Louisa explained.

"Yes, I was already going home" Gwil confirmed.

"Oh so I wanted to tell you that Edith and I are going to Jim's house, he called us to visit and to stay for dinner, so you can go there straight, and meet us there, okay?" asked Louisa.

"Of course, no problem" he smiled at the idea "see you soon, I love you."

"I love you too" she replied "bye."

So the actor left the BBC studios to go to his brother-in-law's house. In that same place, a few days ago, Isaac had been the first in his house to discover the news about his uncle.

First, the boy had taken a long, loud sigh when he read the news on his cell phone. So loudly that his mother came to check the reason for this.

"What did you see? Are you feeling anything?" Rory appeared at the door of her son's room.

"Mom, you won't believe it" Zac got up and went to her "Uncle Gwil will be the new companion of the Doctor."

"Ah I should know it had to do with Doctor Who ..." Rory felt relieved "wait, Gwil, is your uncle Gwilym going to be in the show? Really?"

"Really, seriously!" Isaac spoke again, excited "did he know for a long time? Oh yes he must, new companions cannot reveal that they are in the show until they authorize it, wow! I have so much to ask him."

"Take it easy, okay? Don't scare your uncle, okay?" his mother ended up laughing softly.

"Okay, I promise to at least try" he blinked and ran.

"Where are you going?" Rory called when he was away.

"Tell Dad!" shouted Isaac back.

Jimmy was surprised by the energy in his son, but he waited patiently for him to say what he wanted.

"Dad, Uncle Gwil will be in Doctor Who" said the boy "he will be the new companion."

"Wow, really?!" Jimmy stood up, contaminated with his son's excitement "oh it's cool! A relative of ours in our favorite show!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Isaac agreed on that one word.

It was from this excitement that the idea of inviting the Lees to visit came, father and son had a scheme to get as much information out of Gwilym, but Rory was willing to keep them under control if necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys are you alright? Here I am, back with the sequence of Avoiding the Inevitable. This story will be a milestone in the universe of PODC because from it the protagonism will pass from Chrissie, Brian and Queen to the Bo Rhap Boys, Louisa and other characters that you will meet as the story progresses, okay? I won't abandon Chrissie and Brian entirely, they will still show up here, only less often.
> 
> Isaac representing us all! Well, guys, we’ll have a lot of reference to Doctor Who in this story, if you know it, that's good, but if not, that's fine too, I don’t think you’ll be lost with the references. Well guys, I hope you enjoyed it and see you in the next chapter!


	3. Isaac's search

When Isaac's doorbell rang, he ran to answer it. He gave his uncle and his aunt and cousin a huge smile too. He couldn't help but smile at his aunt, he loved her so much that nothing would make him forget her, just as he loved his cousin. But the smile for Gwilym had one more meaning, of course that Isaac also loved his uncle, but he liked him even more because he was working on Doctor Who.

"Hi, Uncle Gwil and hi, Aunt Lou, hi to you too, Di" he was all pompous "welcome and coming in, we have a lot to talk about."

"What got into you, Zac?" Louisa laughed, while even Edith looked at her cousin with some strangeness.

"Soon, you will know soon" promised the boy.

"Hello, folks, It's so good you've arrived, let's eat, everything is ready, you came just in time" Rory invited them and the Lees snuggled up.

"So ..." Jimmy exchanged a confidential look with his son during dinner "Gwilym, we heard about the news, first of all, congratulations!"

"Ah yes, thank you very much, Jim, I ..." Gwilym would talk more if his nephew didn't interrupt him.

"Okay, enough talk, uncle" Zac said excitedly "how will it be? Have you recorded anything? Have you read the script? How is your character? He's not a bad companion, is he? And Jodie? Jodie Whittaker! Did you get to know her?"

"Isaac Roger Taylor May, take a break!" his mother scolded him "son, you make your uncle crazy."

"Sorry, mom" the boy withered for a brief second "but you know that I love Doctor Who and Uncle Gwilym, and he, you know ..."

"Rory, it's okay, Zac's enthusiasm is understandable" his uncle calmed everything down "I don't care about the questions, I just ask that you understand that I can only answer one at a time, and oh, there are some that I can't answer yet, because I signed a confidentiality agreement with the BBC."

"Oh of course, this happens to every new actor who joins the show" Isaac remembered the rule and that made him calm down a little "but what can you tell me? Wait, let me get organized, talk about your character, uncle."

"Yeah, you didn't tell me about him, Gwil, I'm also curious" pointed out Louisa.

"Okay, I think it's a good start to our conversation" the actor resumed "my character is called Terry, nickname for Terrance, he doesn't like it so much being called Terrance, and his last name is Clay, and he works at a store departments, he's very unlucky and flustered."

"He resembles you a little you" Louisa replied, a little playfully.

"I knew you were going to say that, as soon as I read the script, because he has some of my characteristics, Lou! Gwilym countered back "oh but there is something about this character that will disappoint you."

"What? Why?" Mrs. Lee was suspicious at once.

"They want me to shave to do Terry," he confessed casually.

"Oh yes? Anyway, it will be a relief for Edith" Louisa really looked disappointed, but shrugged.

"What is it about Gwilym having a beard or not? And what does Edith have to do with this story?" Jimmy didn't understand anything.

"Ah it's our thing, Gwil without a beard is practically younger Dad, which is weird" his sister explained "and when Edith was born she cried when Gwilym kissed her cheek because his beard scratched."

"Okay, before this conversation gets stranger" Zac interrupted gently "have you met Jodie, uncle?"

"Oh my dear Isaac, yes indeed, and it just happened today!" it was Gwilym's turn to play with his nephew.

"Really? Did you start recording today?" and Isaac returned to the excitement.

"No, we did the table reading of the script today, but I met her today, the whole team, by the way" Gwilym said "and she was really nice to me Zac, hugged me and said that I was very welcome in the family."

"Look uncle, if you don't ask too much, could you tell her that she has a nephew who is a big fan of the series and that if one day, I don't know, you could introduce your dear nephew to her?" Zac asked with all the wits of a little lamb "if I'm not asking too much, please?"

"Don't forget to talk about your dear brother-in-law as well," added Jimmy, a little more timidly than his son.

"Jim! Zac! I don't know what I do with you" Rory has lost control of the situation.

"You know how we are, Rory, the Mays and Doctor Who ..." Louisa commented between laughs.

Ultimately, Gwilym promised to do whatever was possible and didn't reveal any more facts about the new season of the series. Other news came to him when he checked his cell phone, still at his brother-in-law's house.

 _"Guess who's on the Queen's land?"_ was Joe Mazzello's message on the boys' chat group.

Ben was the first to respond, even sending Joe a private message in search of further clarification.

**BEN**   
_What are you doing here? I hope you haven't forgotten your old friends_

**JOE**   
_What? Oh no, Benny, no way, it's just because of you that I'm here_

**BEN**   
_Oh stop kidding and tell the truth_

**JOE**   
_Okay, Ben, I'm serious, really. I decided to go to London to see you and Gwil, I miss you a lot and besides, my mom insisted a lot_

**BEN**  
Ah got it, it will be good to see you again

Ben soon understood that the trip was a way to deal with the grief and the lack that Joe's father was doing. Given that, he had an idea.

**BEN**   
_Look, Joe, do you know how long you're going to be here and where you're going to be?_

**JOE**   
_Wow, Ben, what a curiosity huh! But why? I'm staying in a hotel_

**BEN**   
_Well, my apartment can accommodate two people, it would be nice to have you as my roommate_

The proposal made Joe serious.

**JOE**   
_Are you serious, Ben? I mean, I don't want to give you trouble or anything_

**BEN**   
_No, just fix your mess and everything is fine_

**JOE**   
_But I am very messy_

**BEN**   
_I know, I can compel you to fix it anyway_

**JOE**   
_Okay, Benny, seriously now, I think I'll accept it. So will I see you tomorrow?_

**BEN**   
_See you tomorrow_

Thus, the two friends had an agreement. In addition, in common, Ben and Joe also knew about Gwilym's new job and wanted to congratulate him personally. The meeting of the trio of friends would wait for the next day.


	4. The Yankee in London

Joe knew where Ben lived, at least in the most conventional way, he had memorized the address that his friend had passed through a message, but he had never visited the place, it would be the first time he would see where he would be staying in the coming months. For that reason alone, Joe felt a little more anxious when he arrived at the airport, got out and ordered a taxi, which would take him to Ben's apartment. Joe called him, confirming that he was coming and Ben, in turn, was at home, just waiting.

The friends gave a hug when they saw each other, it had been a long time since they had seen each other in person.

"Well, Ben, I don't want to rush you, but can you show me where I'm going to stay? I already wanted to store my bags" Joe interrupted before they could continue talking.

"Oh yes, this way" Ben passed him and the friend followed him, walking in the corridor and turning at a door "my guest room."

Everything was neat and tidy, with very few things, basically a single bed and a dresser, it was everything Joe needed and he wouldn't be too lazy to ask for more things he didn't really need.

"Wonderful, Benny!" Joe exclaimed when he saw the room "I don't even know how to thank you, really."

"Oh stop it, I already said that it will be nice to have you here" Ben gestured relaxed, and then laughed "well, pack up, then we talk."

Joe nodded, accepting the advice, and after he packed his things, including his cardboard Ben, who couldn't be on the other side of the ocean alone, he went back to the living room.

"So ..." Ben tried to start a subject, thought about asking how things were going in New York, but given the circumstances, he thought it best to invert the question "are you curious about what has been happening around here lately?"

"Ah I have an idea of what happened" replied the guest "it continued to rain a lot, you made that spy movie on Netflix and Gwil is in Doctor Who!"

"Wow, you're well informed" Ben joked "but it's true, I was happy for Gwilym, I just want to see how this new season will be and what he will do."

"Yeah, a new companion for the Doctor is always cool, depending on the companion" Joe pondered.

"You still don't like Clara Oswald?" guessed the owner of the house.

"It's not that I don't like her, Jenna Coleman is amazing, Clara is just my least favorite" Joe made sure to explain.

"Don't just say that around Gwilym, she's his favorite companion," Ben advised.

"No, no, that's when I'm going to say it" Joseph laughed "talking about Gwil, I was thinking that since I'm here, I wanted to pay a visit to him, Lou and little Lee, to congratulate and see how they are doing."

"It's a great idea!" Ben got up excited "shall we go?"

"What? Now? But I'm tired" complained the visitor.

"Ah yeah, my bad, Joe, you must be tired of the trip" Ben scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"Ah did you believe it?" Joe changed his tone to a joke "come on, Benny, I can afford a visit with my friends, I'm not that old, besides, I brought a gift for Edith."

"Ah now I'm going to have to stay" Ben objected, leaving Joe confused.

"No, bro, why?" asked the visitor.

"I will appear there empty-handed? It's not very cool" the youngest tried to justify himself.

"Oh stop it, Ben, anyway I can say you and I bought the gift together" Joe put a hand on his shoulder, already pushing him out.

"You don't need to tell them that" Ben countered.

"Okay, let's just go." Joe shook his head.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination and when Mrs. Lee answered them, she could hardly believe Joe was there.

"I can't believe you came!" she smiled, amazed.

"Of course I came, and I had to come see you soon, I just arrived, ask Benny" Joe answered her.

"And get ready for a long stay, Lou. Joe is staying at my apartment for a while,” Ben added.

"Oh good, it will be great to have you here too" Louisa declared to the American friend.

"Gentlemen, good to see you too" Gwilym shook hands with them "how was the trip, Joe?"

"Really good" he smiled "and where is Edith?"

"Sleeping, she had a very restless night, we are still recovering" Gwilym yawned, proving what he had just said.

"Oh what a pity, we brought her a gift" Joe lamented.

"No problem, when she wakes up, we open it," reminisced Louisa.

"Actually, there's another reason why we came" Ben changed the subject "man, we saw it, you're in Doctor Who! How did that happen?"

"Yeah, so you guys got excited too" Gwilym laughed as he sat next to his friends "I can't explain, well, technically, I passed the test, but as I got this role, it's difficult to explain with words, it's a gift, and responsibility."

"It was thanks to your efforts, we know how talented you are" Joe praised, happy for his friend.

"Yes, I think so" Gwilym was modest "and I remembered your advice Ben, remember? About my next role being a big role, it just happened."

"Uh huh, the best of the roles!" Ben replied, excited "is there anything you can tell us?"

"In fact, not much, because of the term of secrecy" Gwil explained "but I read the first episode and it's incredible, seriously, it's a classic Doctor Who episode, featuring a new companion, like a person living their normal life, then he ends up running into something alien, and meeting the Doctor."

"You accidentally told us a little of the episode," Joe pointed out.

"Come on, Joe, it was a pretty general description," Ben countered.

"Well, you are both right" Gwilym patted them both on the knees at the same time.

They stayed for dinner, without Louisa having to insist on it. After the meal, Edith ended up waking up, which was a good thing for her and her foster uncles. Joe soon volunteered to hold her, relying on the fact that he got along very well with his nephews, but the little girl ended up crying.

"I swear I didn't do anything," Joe said, a little embarrassed and confused.

"Yeah, Di, did bad Uncle Joe scare you?" Ben talked to her.

"Why don't you try, smarty boy?" Joe countered, a little annoyed.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant" the youngest tried to stop it, but Joe had already given Edith to him, and there was nothing left to do but hold her.

To her surprise and relief, Edith had really calmed down. Only her parents were left to marvel at Uncle Ben's feat and Uncle Joe to accept defeat. At least it seemed that Gwil and Lou had really liked the gift he had brought, a Yankees T-shirt in Edith's size, it was too cute and a way for her to get attached to Uncle Joe.


	5. The Dream Job

Gwilym spent the whole morning taking care of Edith, luckily this was possible since all his recordings were scheduled for the afternoon, so he could stay with his daughter while Louisa worked and when she arrived, the couple reversed their roles, Gwil went to work and Lou stayed with Edith.

He was extremely excited that morning, after so much waiting and publicity, it was a matter of hours before he started shooting. Everything was going well at the Leeds residence, when Edith started to cry when she saw her father after getting ready to go out. His well-known beard was gone and the little girl was missing it.

"No, no, what is it? What's up, Di? Did Dad do something wrong? Is something wrong with you?" Gwilym picked her up, inspecting her for some reason for his daughter's reaction.

Then she stopped, paying attention to his voice, but still with a confused face. That man had her daddy's voice, but he didn't look like him.

"Hi guys!" they heard Louisa call and went to meet her.

Gwilym kissed his wife and handed Edith over to her, as the little girl held out her arms, wanting her mother's lap. Louisa noticed that the little girl had a doubtful face and soon after, she looked at her husband, also missing his beard.

"So today is really the big day" she spoke to Gwilym "you should tell me you were going to shave."

"Why? You knew about it" he felt a little guilty.

"Calm down, I'm just kidding, I can get used to it, I promise" Louisa guaranteed "but now tell me something, is everything okay with Edith? She's been looking at you weird for a while."

"Ah that explains a lot" Gwilym realized "she had never seen me without a beard before, she suddenly started crying when she saw me."

"Look, it's not just Mom who is surprised by Daddy without a beard" Mrs. Lee laughed when talking to her daughter "but that's okay, I promise to stop this, because I don't want to delay you on your first big day."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm going now" Gwilym hurried, kissed Louisa again, and Edith's cheek quickly "I love you."

"Have a nice day at work, I love you too" she replied, watching him leave, in the company of Edith.

Also looking forward to that day was Jane Glouster, although she was already working that day long before Gwilym or any other member of the cast. Jane finished checking out the costumes at the BBC studio, seeing if she needed to adjust anything before the recordings. She was the main costume design for the series and it was a tremendous responsibility, but she couldn't be happier about it.

It had been a difficult position to conquer, it had all started when she left Perth, Australia, her place of origin, to study Fashion in London. For a long time, she didn't know if she would ever become a great stylist or something, but an internship on television was all it took to direct her plans. Because of her brilliant job as a wardrobe assistant, she got the job of head of the department, so she didn't think things could be better.

Only today she was looking forward to the costume testing and in the process, getting to know the cast, especially Gwilym Lee. Jane was a fan of Doctor Who, had always followed the series, but had become a fan of Queen also partially because of Gwilym. She knew the band from hearing about it, because of its most famous hits, but the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" had aroused her curiosity and interest in the band, and of course, in the cast. She even followed them on social media, so she was holding herself back from having a fangirl attack when she met Gwilym.

Jane finished packing the costumes and decided to have a coffee to calm her nerves. Maybe it would make her more electrified, but it would also keep her focused. That was when the door to her office opened, revealing Jodie and Gwilym and Jane almost spit out coffee, startled and excited.

"I'm sorry for that, I didn't expect your visit, I mean, I was waiting, but I didn't know exactly when you would come" she tried to compose herself and find a place to leave her coffee cup, she ended up leaving it beside her machine sewing "I'm Jane, Jane Glouster, I'm the costume designer."

"Yes, we know that, and it's a pleasure to meet you" Jodie was friendly and understanding with her "I'm Jodie."

"Hi" Jane sighed, still nervous and happy.

"I'm Gwilym, nice to meet you" he introduced himself and Jane couldn't stop looking at him.

-Yes, I know, I mean, it's also nice to meet you" the costume designer adjusted her glasses over her small nose to disguise her excitement "well, here are your costumes, I was told that you are going to take promotional photos first. You will try it, and only then, will you come back here for me to inspect, to see if you are comfortable or adjust something, okay?"

Jodie and Gwilym nodded, grabbing their clothes and leaving, leaving Jane to recover from her reverie alone. What she had prepared for this new season had pleased the actors. Jane had changed a few small details in the Doctor's classic outfit, just slightly changing the color palette. Gwilym, while looking at himself in the mirror, felt that Jane knew him very well, because his costume was very similar to something he would wear on a casual day. It was a gray sweater, over a plaid shirt, dark jeans and on the feet, converse sneakers, like the ones the Tenth Doctor used to wear, Gwilym understood the reference straight away.

"I think it's perfect, Jane, it's really amazing" he soon praised when he returned to her office, with open arms.

"Hum, not that perfect" Miss. Glouster frowned, doubtful "these sweater sleeves are too long, I'll have to fix it."

"Of course, you are the expert" he commented, standing still until she finished fixing it, folding the sleeves.

"I think it's a good temporary solution, but I promise to fix it" Jane added, shortly afterwards "although I think this unexpected detail suits Terry a lot."

"I think so too" said Gwil "I think we can leave it at that."

"Yeah, I think so" Jane decided.

Gwilym enjoyed the small team work, then said goodbye to the costume designer to join Jodie in the dressing room. After hair and makeup ready, he kissed his wedding ring and kept it in a box, and remembering Louisa and all the support she always gave him in relation to his work. Then he headed for the photo shoot, where his journey in Doctor Who would officially begin.


	6. Ben meet the Deacons

Joe and Ben organized well in the space they shared now, but even being closer to friends, it was inevitable that Joe would feel a little bored.

Ben was busy with auditions while his guest was alone in the apartment, which left Joe little choice of what to do, even inspiration for new videos with Cardboard Ben seemed to be disappearing. Until something crossed his mind, he had been in London for a few days and hadn't told the Deacons about it. For sure, they would be happy to see him again.

So Joe blew away boredom and hurried to call John.

"Joe, is it you? Glad you called" said the bassist gladly.

"How are you, John? I'm fine" he replied" well, I wanted to tell you something, I'm here in London, I'm going to stay indefinitely, but I would love to see you."

"Of course, this will be great, we look forward to your visit" John agreed.

"Okay, then see you later" Joe said goodbye.

He decided not to run there, he thought it best to warn Ben and when he thought about sending a message to his friend, Joe had another idea. He thought it would be cool if Ben went with him. With his plans for later ready, Joe waited for Ben to arrive and the owner of the house soon noticed his friend's agitated spirits.

"It looks like you got some good news, didn't you? Tell me what it was, mate" Ben wanted to find out.

"Maybe it's good news for you" Joe countered, amused "do you want to take a walk with me?"

"Walk? And do you know London so well to take me around?" Ben raised the question, joking.

"It's the place in London that I know best" Joe clarified a little more "I talked to John, said I was going to pay them a visit, and I thought if you wouldn't like to go with me."

"What? Oh no, Joe, I don't know" Ben even blushed, a little embarrassed.

"Why? Is there any problem? I thought it would be cool" Joe was concerned.

"Yes, but ..." Ben took a breath "I don't know if it would be a little inconvenient for me to go, I mean, it's you who is closest to them and honestly, I'm ashamed to go to John's house."

"Okay, I understand you, but it's not like you were at a stranger's house, you met him when we made the movie" Joe tried to argue.

"Exactly, when we made the film, in a different context" Ben added "going to his house is another different thing."

"But you're not going alone, you are going with me, and besides, there will be no one there again except Mrs. Deacon, who we happen to meet on set too" Joe gestured with an emphasis on words, thinking it would help convince Ben.

"Okay, so let's go" the youngest ended up giving in, he knew he wasn't going to convince his friend otherwise.

Joe was right about the two of them already meeting John and Veronica, but he was wrong to think that only the two of them would be home at the time.

Georgia had been there and spent a long time at her grandparents' house, trying to cool her head. It had been a year since the girl graduated from school and was undecided about which college she would attend. She had a specific dream, but even though she had a rock star grandfather, that seemed unattainable. She couldn't decide whether it was worth investing or trying something more concrete, but if she went that way, she wouldn't know what to choose either.

After some tea and cookies and coffee from her grandmother, Georgia was finally feeling better. In addition, she lay down on the sofa in the living room, her head was hanging out, her feet were raised on the other side of the sofa arm. She listened to her favorite songs through the headset, trying to get into another dimension, one she wasn't so worried about. Her peace of mind was disturbed by her grandfather, John gently removed one of her headphones, being careful not to frighten her.

"I'm sorry, dear, but you won't be able to stay in that state any longer," he warned.

"Ah I know, I look like an ungrateful slack, right?" Gia laughed as she sat down "sorry, Grandpa."

"No, it's okay, it's that Joe is coming to visit us, he's on his way here now" John explained.

"Oh, really? That's cool!" Georgia said, seeing her friend would be good.

She then recovered from her rest and waited for Joe, running to the front door as soon as the doorbell rang. She opened the door with a big smile, which faltered a little when she saw that Joe wasn't alone.

" Hi, Joe, how are you?" Georgia greeted him, and hugged him.

"Hi, Gia, good to see you, I hope you don't mind me bringing Benny here with me" Joe pointed a thumb at him, as if his presence there was no longer obvious.

"Hi, sorry ... Sorry I showed up like this, Joe insisted a lot" Ben stumbled over the words, feeling the same shame as Gia.

"No, no problem" she managed a small smile, embarrassed and shy "you are Ben, right? Ben Hardy ..."

"That's a pleasure to meet you" he also recovered.

"Gia, Georgia, actually, Georgia Deacon" she introduced herself "I'm John Deacon's granddaughter."

"Okay, so now that you met each other, can we get in?" Joe interrupted the exchange of shame.

"Sure, I'm sorry I'm holding the entrance" Gia laughed and let them in.

"Joe, good to see you again" Veronica came to meet them "and you brought Ben with you! Hi."

"Hi, Mrs. Deacon," Ben replied, and they followed her.

John shook hands with them, inviting them to sit with them. Despite the inexplicable shame, Gia stayed there, taking little part in the conversation. Joe noticed that she was quieter than usual.

"Are you all right, Gia?" Mazzello turned to her, gently.

"Yes, I was just thinking a lot, a teenager thing" she sighed "an almost adult teenager who still has doubts about what she wants to be when she grows up."

"What exactly would you like to do?! Ben sympathized with her, which surprised her.

"Oh I don't even know if I should tell you, not that I don't trust you, it's that we just met, anyway, it's that I'm afraid that others will laugh at me" she was sincere.

"Laugh at you? No, I wouldn't do that, I promise" Hardy pledged, willing to help.

"All right ..." Gia played with her fingers, creating courage "I really wanted to be a screenwriter."

"Wow! This is prominent" he praised.

"I know, only I don't even know where to start or what to do" Gia opened more.

"Look, I think if you have an idea, first put it on paper and then, with something in hand, run after the opportunities" Ben tried to advise her following his own experiences.

"That really sounds like a good plan" she felt she could follow that "it's a good direction, I think that's what I was needing."

"I'm glad I was able to help you," Ben replied, glad for her.

This time they exchanged a sincere smile, without a hint of fear.


	7. Rami's memories

The sunlight was already over the small crack in the window, slowly illuminating the room, but it still didn't reach Lucy's face. She was sleeping, in the same pose as always, as Rami had realized over the time that they were dating, turned on her side, lips slightly parted, hands curled. It was such a common activity, so necessary for the well-being of every human being, but it fascinated Rami.

He had been awake for a while, he had taken the trouble to prepare a special breakfast for him and his girlfriend, taking advantage of the fact that Lucy was spending time in New York to visit him. After the table was ready, he came to see if she was still asleep and apparently, she wouldn't wake up anytime soon, so he just let her rest, while admiring her.

Doing so made him remember the first time they met and how he had fallen in love with her. It had all started after the preliminary process of being cast in "Bohemian Rhapsody" and meeting the cast. They saw each other for the first time in reading the script, they shook hands, but Lucy chose to kiss him on the cheek too, which made him slightly flushed. She made a mental note that he was shy.

Before leaving, they spent some time talking about how close Freddie and Mary were and how they would have to portray this faithfully and convincingly. Rami was so concerned and focused, knowing the great responsibility he had, that Lucy thought it best to calm him down a little.

"Well, we talk a lot about our characters" she summarized, crossing her legs and putting her hands clasped on one knee "but I was thinking about something that would also help us a lot in this work."

"Of course, you can tell me" Rami nodded "I think it would be important for us to collaborate together, since we are going to be a couple in the film ..."

"Yes" she smiled, pleased by his interest "I wanted to know more about you, if it's not rude of course, I mean, I will tell you a little more about me, if you want, so we get closer and break the ice."

"Yeah, you're right, there's a certain ice on my part" he ended up laughing "but I'm sorry for that, it's just shyness speaking louder."

"I realized that you're shy, but it's okay, really" Lucy assured him, even giving him a light pat on the arm, which gave her a little shiver and another giggle.

Gradually, they were approaching as friends during work and Lucy, was feeling something more for her co-worker. Rami was first of all very cute, with his shy way, but also very responsible and focused when it came to work and career, not to mention that he was always a gentleman with her and made her laugh and feel good about it almost always .

Except that although her feelings were very clear to her, it was difficult to think of a way to tell Rami. Lucy worried about ruining their friendship, leaving him out of her life because of it. However, she decided that she would find a way to tell, that she would devise a way to make him feel at ease until he didn't react so badly to what she had to tell.

Lucy's plans started when she called after another day of recording.

"Rami, can I speak to you quickly?" She gave her characteristic smile, which caught his attention.

"Of course " he waited to see what she would say.

"I don't know if you have an appointment for now, but do you accept having coffee with me now?" she invited, completely sympathetic and optimistic that he would accept.

"Now? Well, no, I mean, yes, yes, I do" he replied positively and let Lucy take him.

They sat at one of the outside tables, asked for what they wanted and waited until the order arrived.

"What did you think of today's scenes?" Lucy started a conversation.

"Ah I thought they were very good, I'm just sorry for slipping that time and almost falling on you, it was an accident" Rami allowed himself to even smile at the small mistake "I was still getting used to walking with those shoes."

"No problem" she made a gesture with her hand as if she was letting go of his slip.

Talking some more, Rami realized how comfortable he felt with Lucy, how elegant she was, but also very tomboy, full of life, understanding, a great friend. Friend? Rami's mind made him deny this position, it was nothing like that, if he could, he wanted her to accept being his girlfriend. That revelation took him by surprise and he controlled himself not to act hastily.

As their dates continued and Ben, Joe and Gwilym found cute that Rami insisted that those weren't romantic dates, Lucy felt brave enough to declare herself and tell what had been happening to her for a while.

"Rami, I needed to say something to you, something important" she declared after taking a sip of tea, her voice was sweet, but a little shaky.

"Okay, but are you okay?" He touched her hand over the table, she almost wanted to step back, but kept her hand there.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, even better because ..." she looked down briefly and laughed "well, I met a guy, a while ago, and he's so amazing, I can't even explain it right, I just know that he does me so well, like I'm in heavens and I'm a silly teenager in love again, but no, it's not like I felt, he really made me fall in love with him and" she took his hand !Rami, this guy is and can only be you."

"Me? My God, are you serious? Lu ..." he shook his head, still in awe, unable to believe how lucky he was "I can only say, that you miss. Boynton, make me feel the way you said and more."

Lucy laughed with joy at her discovery, getting up from her place and going to kiss her beloved without further waiting. Everything had come together better than she had planned. Rami had been so happy that after that kiss, he stood up, lifting Lucy and turning her there in the middle of the sidewalk, without caring for everyone around them to be looking. When he returned her to the floor, they exchanged a passionate look, and this time, he kissed her first. They had officially left the cafe as boyfriend and girlfriend. And from then on, they were enjoying the loving and stable relationship they were building together, which had come to Lucy's visit to Rami in New York.


	8. After the day of work

Gwilym and Jodie had paused to catch their breath. Those first moments of recording had demanded a lot from them, an endless run had happened, as it always was when the Doctor found a new adventure companion.

Even sitting, drinking water slowly while resting, Gwilym's eyes still expressed all his enchantment and admiration for the film set. Now, he was nothing less than inside the TARDIS itself, the colorful, fluorescent frame inside.

"Awesome, isn't it?" Jodie came to sit next to him "I hope I'm not disturbing your view."

"Oh no, Jodie, no way" he laughed "really, you're right, I was repairing the scenario. Looking at it so closely, it is so much better than on television."

"I remember when I saw the TARDIS for the first time, here! Jodie said "I felt like you, so I understand your enthusiasm."

Gwilym nodded and before they could continue talking, the production assistant warned that they would soon be back on record. During the work, he put all his impression fascinated in Terry's reactions, which in his opinion, matched the character a lot.

In the late afternoon, Jodie and Gwilym recorded another scene, taking advantage of the sunset light, which was crucial for that point in the story, and after a few more takes, they were dismissed, but a lot of work still awaited them in the following days.

Upon returning to the dressing room, Gwilym met Jane again, which made the girl lively and somewhat embarrassed again.

"Hi, Jane, I'm on my way home, so, see you tomorrow?" he said as he said goodbye.

"Oh for sure, Mr. Lee" she nodded, smiling.

"No, no need to call me mister, please, only Gwilym is fine" he corrected gently "or Gwil, if you find Gwilym difficult."

"Why would I find Gwilym a difficult name to say?" asked Jane, confused.

"Ah it's nothing, it's a long story" it was his turn to be a little embarrassed "don't worry, so bye, Jane."

"Bye, Gwilym!" she smiled at him.

Inside, Jane thought about how nice and kind Gwilym was, which made her happier to admire him as an artist. Maybe it was too early to ask for autographs, but talking to him was fine.

In the Lees apartment, the simple sound of the door opening left Edith alert, very quickly, she got up from the carpet, trying to stand and balance as fast as she could, all to see her father.

Edith had never tried to walk that way before, which caught Louisa's attention, who watched to see what would happen. The little girl smiled when she saw her father, who looked at her in surprise. Gwilym quickly understood what was going on, he knelt down waiting for his daughter to come to him.

"Come, Edith ..." he called and she staggered in her steps, but didn't give up, walked two, three, four steps, until falling into her father's arms.

"Look at you, you're walking, my love" Louisa joined them, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Yeah, she's so grown up already" Gwilym kissed the little girl's cheek.

After her parents' joy over Edith's new discovery, Louisa was curious to know what her husband's day had been like.

"I confess it was very tight, I literally sweated my shirt very much, but it was a lot of fun" Gwil said "we filmed walking on the street, in the department store, Terry's dismissal, and of course, inside and outside the TARDIS."

"Oh my God, did you see the TARDIS? The real TARDIS?" Louisa hit the dining table so excited.

"I know, I just didn't jump for joy like you, but I was really excited" he laughed "everything looks so real, you know, the levers and buttons and everything ..."

"Did they let you touch all this?" Mrs. Lee wanted to know.

"Yeah, at least a little bit, I guarantee I didn't break anything" Gwil joked.

"Oh no, being clumsy is a Joe thing, you're not that much clumsy" Louisa winked at him, which made him grimace.

"Speaking of Joe, he didn't show up here anymore, right? I'm starting to miss him and Ben,” said Gwilym.

"Me too, but soon you will see each other again, when you have a break from your incredible work!" she praised again "I really wanted to see all this ..."

"Look, I'm not sure, but a visit from you on set wouldn't hurt ..." Gwilym suggested.

"What? Are you serious?" Louisa got excited again "I thought it was all super secret, that a mere fan couldn't go there, because I can leak something."

"That's where your case is different, you are the wife of an actor who is working on the series, you would go there first to see me" he put it that way, seeing from the other side.

"Hey, that would be me taking advantage of you, how wrong, Mr. Lee" she frowned "that's what I said before we got married, that's weird."

"No, no, think about all the times you accompanied me to the awards we went to" he tried again.

"I know you, and I know what you're doing" she looked at her husband suspiciously "you know I'm going to like it, that's why you're insisting so much."

"It's not a lie at all" he shrugged.

"Just make sure I can go there without having problems with secrecy and stuff, okay?" Louisa sighed.

"Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Lee" he nodded seriously "but I know you're going to like it."

"Yeah, I know, but you don't have to talk to me like that" she shook her head.

It turned out that the two laughed at all this, but Gwilym was right, Louisa would love to see the set of Doctor Who and maybe even meet Jodie Whittaker herself, but Mrs. Lee didn't entertain false hopes. First of all, she worried about her work, said goodbye to her husband and daughter, gave her History classes at Oaks Middle School and then returned home, wishing Gwilym a good job, training more steps with Edith.

Gwilym, in turn, also focused on his lines and scenes, and finally decided to ask Chris Chibnall if there would be a problem if one of these days his family came to visit him. The showrunner replied that there was no problem, that was quite common. Knowing this made Gwilym excited, showing the set to Louisa would be another way to show how much he was loving that job.


	9. Platonic Thoughts

Eventually, the conversation that started with Ben and Gia was extended between John, Veronica and Joe too. That afternoon, Cameron, Josh and Luke joined them later and Ben admitted to himself that he felt very comfortable around the boys, since they were about the same age.

Their jokes were understood, which made Georgia laugh, even when her young uncles teased her. Georgia's laughter in particular, caused something in Ben, a relief, a well-being, a good feeling that he still didn't know how to name. Perhaps it was the contentment of seeing her smile more relaxed than when he met her.

"Well, Mrs. Deacon, it was another pleasant afternoon with your family, thank you very much for that again" Joe thanked her "but we are going now, we don't want to bother you any more work and Ben has his commitments."

"I think it's not so early for you to go, but okay, I understand you" Josh said "but come back when you can, it will be great to have you again."

"Of course, Josh, I really enjoyed meeting you" Ben smiled.

"So it's agreed, you can come another day, okay?" invited Mrs. Deacon.

"Okay," Joe agreed for him and Ben, before his friend could react otherwise.

The two said goodbye to everyone, with Ben and Georgia taking a little extra second until he went on his way and she stayed at her grandparents' house. Joe let Ben talk about how much fun he had with the Deacon boys' conversation, while the two waited for a bus. When they finally sat down, Joe chose a peculiar subject to discuss.

"So, that advice to Georgia ... Suddenly you were so wise ..." said Joseph, a little suspiciously.

"Ah Gwilym said the same thing a while ago ..." Ben laughed "it's nothing like wisdom, I think, I just think about the possibilities and try to make the best possible choice."

"And that helped Gia, it was very nice of you" commented Joe.

"Seriously, I didn't do anything too much, I understand what it's like to be young and feel lost" Ben explained "between you and me, my experience is more recent."

"Oh no, Benjamin, since you called me old, I'll play hard with you" Joe pretended to be offended, using the joke to get where he wanted "you and Georgia got along very well for those who just met."

"Yeah, she's very nice, smart, full of plans and interests for the future, that's good for her" Ben praised, but made a face when he understood what Joe meant - no way, Joseph, I'm not interested in her!"

"None of that, you're the one saying" Joe raised his hands in defense.

"Joe, she's nice, I think we can be friends, but she's trying to find herself, and I don't want to get involved with her like that, no way, that's not what I feel" Ben opened his heart, in a little more serious way.

"Okay, my friend, I'm not going to pressure you about this ..." Joe put a hand on his shoulders, unconcerned.

"I know ..." Ben still had his doubts.

"I'm serious," said Joe.

Ben just shook his head, used to his friend's way.

In Gia's thoughts, she found it hard to believe she had spent an afternoon with Ben Hardy. Sure, her family and Joe were with them too, but when they started talking, it was as if only the two of them were there, in a separate dimension, one in which Georgia's youthful daydreams made her melt.

She was somewhat ashamed to admit it, but during the whole process of asking Joe about the movie, and seeing about the cast, she had developed a crush on Ben Hardy. She thought he was incredibly cute, a sweet boy, not a fatal heartthrob, but more for a caring boyfriend who liked to cuddle on rainy days.

Yes, Georgia was aware that it was fantasizing too much, but still, she had a crush on him. So when she met Ben, she tried to control herself as much as possible, she felt a little tremor in her, but at least she was comfortable enough to talk to him and really, Ben had been so thoughtful and kind, it was just like she saw him.

However, in the face of all this, she was sensible, she couldn't hope that uncertain feelings would guarantee that one day it would actually be reciprocated. Georgia didn't love Ben, she just liked him, only slightly exceeding the platonic level. Perhaps, as they got closer, she would see that it was all about friendship.

The only thing Georgia did that day, still related to Ben, was to follow his advice and try to work on a script, some story that could develop into something of interest to some studio.

Back at the apartment, Joe and Ben spent some time watching TV, anything that distracted them from the streaming options they had. Somewhat bored, it was Ben's turn to have an idea.

"Would Gwil mind if we pay him a visit?" asked the youngest.

"Look, it might be a little late for that, but we can call, it would be better" Joe suggested.

Ben nodded, enjoying the idea and calling immediately. The video call took a while, but it was justified when Edith's face appeared on the screen, she was leaning on her father's chest, looking curiously at the cell phone screen.

"Look, Di, it's Uncle Ben, say hi to him" Gwilym's voice appeared off the screen.

"Hi, Edith, and hi Gwil, I hope I'm not disturbing you," Ben said.

"No, don't worry, I'm watching Edith while Lou finishes corrections" Gwilym explained, appearing on the screen this time "and you, Benny? How are you, mate?"

"I'm great, I was thinking of stopping by, but it's a little late and besides, you have work tomorrow" justified the youngest.

"Yeah, you're right, but thanks for calling" Gwilym thanked.

"Speaking of work, can you talk about the sets and everything for us?" Joe appeared in the conversation "I mean, you can't tell us about the script, but about the other things ..."

"Ah it has been very nice, I was very amazed with the TARDIS, it seemed so real, not to mention when we go to Ancient Egypt and ..." Gwilym interrupted "I think I said too much."

"Well, you could at least show us some pictures, if you took some nice pictures" Ben tried to remedy.

"Pictures? Not pictures, Benny! It would be nice if we went there in person!" Joe said again.

"Funny, I suggested the same thing to Lou a while ago ... Okay, guys, I think you can visit me on the set, on a more propitious day, I'll tell you, okay?" suggested Gwil.

"It looks great," Joe agreed for him and Ben.

"Okay then," said Gwilym at last.

It was gratifying for him to see how much his Whovian family was excited about his work as well.


	10. Jane's work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a fake wound description in the beginning.

Gwilym looked at the mirror in a mixture of satisfaction and disgust. The makeup artists worked on his face for most of the afternoon, since he arrived and, until now, they were not finished, but everything seemed to make him believe that this time had been well spent and worth it.

There was a horrible wound on the side of the actor's face, a cut that came from the right temple to the base of the chin, reaching a little to his neck. As he saw the wound, his mind worked hard to believe that it wasn't real, what helped was that he wasn't in any pain, yet it was impressive. For a moment, he thought about how Edith or Louisa would react when they saw that hideous image, they would probably be terribly afraid, especially their little girl, and so Gwilym wished they wouldn't see him that way, neither by makeup nor in real life.

Finally, the work was finished and Jodie and Gwilym were called in for the recording. She also looked impressed at the lying wound.

"Geez, Gwil, they've done a lot of damage to you" Jodie made faces when she said that.

"Yes, I got impressed too, I just hope my daughter doesn't see me like this, she would be so scared" he lamented.

!You have a daughter? I didn't know, how old is she?" Jodie was delighted with that fact.

"A year and 7 months old, her name is Edith, she just learned to walk" Gwilym said proudly.

Their conversation was interrupted by the start of recording. Very dramatic scenes followed, in the episode, Terry ran out of time and ignored his own pain, trying to save the Doctor and help her at the same time. The time lady thought her friend was dying and tried everything to help him. After several retakes, the actors were released, but before the makeup artists removed all of their amazing and impressive work from Gwilym's face, he recorded the moment with a photo of his horrifying image, although he knew he couldn't post anything until the episode aired on TV.

While he was sitting waiting for the makeup to be removed, he noticed something on the sleeve of his shirt that he had just noticed, a tear from his wrist to his elbow, which was not in the script.

"Only me could be so clumsy, and Lou is right to call me clumsy..." he thought, laughing softly.

Due to this small setback, Gwilym knew that he would have to pay a visit to Jane's office, which he thought was a good opportunity to talk more with the girl. He went there when he was released, after changing, finding the costume designer sewing a huge color of wine dress, from the Victorian era, which seemed to be quite laborious. There were concentration wrinkles on her forehead, the glasses were on the tip of her nose, Gwilym who wore reading glasses knew this could be quite uncomfortable, but even so, Jane didn't seem to mind, nothing would hinder her from doing her job.

The sound of the sewing machine filled the room, then paused when Jane stopped to inspect her work, holding the piece. Only then did Gwil judge the time to report her problem to the costume designer.

"Hi, Jane, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need your help," he said pleasantly.

"Of course, Gwilym, what can I do for you?" she offered.

-"Well, I accidentally ripped my shirt off the recordings, so I think you could fix it, please?" he was a little embarrassed, embarrassed for being clumsy, handing the garment to her.

"Ah it happens, I think it's common, I mean, no problem, it was an accident" she made it clear, inspecting the tear in the shirt in her hands "it's the first time I work for a TV series, so it must be quite often these accidents happen."

"Maybe I'm clumsy too" Gwilym laughed to himself "but if it's any consolation, the scene we shot was very intense, you know? I would run, and crawl on the ground, imminent death, explosions, which will be added later by CGI ..."

"Wow! So it was a very busy day for you, you must be loving this job" Jane smiled, starting to work on the repair, preferring to sew by hand so that the repair would be more subtle, she took the needle and thread, and started sewing.

"Ah yes, I'm a big fan of the series, really, but what about you? Are you enjoying it too?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Of course, the series is wonderful, and I love being able to create the costumes for it, it's something I always wanted, even before coming to England" Jane said, looking occasionally between Gwilym and the sewing.

"So you're not from London, you're from Australia, aren't you? I'm sorry for being straightforward, you can tell by your accent" he said a little embarrassed.

"Oh yes, I'm from Perth, and don't worry, I'm a proud Australian, it's just that it was better for me to come here than stay there, but I miss home sometimes, like everyone else" said Jane.

"I know how it feels, your country is beautiful by the way, I visited Darwin and Adelaide, the Tiwi Islands too, when I worked there" Gwilym said.

"I know, you made Top End Wedding, it's the cutest and most original wedding film I've ever seen! And they represented Australia so well" Jane found herself thrilled again "you look so good in this movie ..."

"Thanks" he found her reaction unexpected.

"Sorry I am excited, is that, I will confess something" she gave a nervous laugh before proceeding "I saw you and the other guys in "Bohemian Rhapsody" and became a fan of Queen because of that, I didn't want to look so fangirl, but the film is so great, and the band too ... you are so similar to the band, it's incredible, anyway, if it's not too much, can you give me an autograph?"

"It's not too much" Gwil understood, thankful for her admiration "I thank you for all your compliments, and for enjoying our work so much. I can give you an autograph right now."

"No, yes, I mean" Jane took a deep breath "there is a poster of the film at home, I bring it tomorrow and you sign it, will you?"

"Of course," Gwilym nodded.

He was happy to be able to do a special favor to a friend and she was happy that she finally managed to ask Gwilym what she wanted without looking annoying.


	11. Gia's story

Georgia woke up ready that Sunday. For her, it was the perfect day and time for her to do what she intended. Through the crack in her bedroom window, she could see that it was still dark, checking the alarm, she saw that it was exactly 5:26 in the morning, which meant that her parents were still sleeping soundly and the house would be at peace and absolute silence.

Throughout the week, Ben's advice was constant in Georgia's mind, and she realized that it was time to act, not to hesitate so much to choose what to do, just focus on a single goal and do her best to achieve it.

After deciding to write a screenplay, not quite sure how to do it, but following her instincts and a certain pattern she thought was right, she started her story. In front of the computer, Georgia began to type events, starting from a main idea, a starry sky over the American desert. It was the scenario, the environment that everything would happen, then the characters emerged, Sharon was the protagonist, a young mixed-race girl, her father was a former slave, her mother a woman of not many possessions besides the farm where the family lived.

As the story progressed, and Georgia set the scene, with secondary characters here and there, but some small scenes, the other main characters emerged, Ernest, a Civil War veteran who maintained his good humor as a weapon against the traumas of war, Janet, an irritated and impatient cook, tired of putting up with naughty customers in her pension, and finally, Alfred, who had come directly from Ireland to study archaeological artifacts of ancient indigenous peoples who inhabited the region.

At a certain point, with more exciting scenes and crazy ideas popping up in the girl's head, Georgia got more and more excited, smiling before the screen alone, admired by the work she was creating. When tiredness hit, she stretched, saved everything and printed a first copy, leaving it on her desk. After so much effort, she gave in to sleep again, her parents wouldn't mind if she slept later on Sunday.

Georgia got up at about 11 am, she was still a little sleepy, but even so, she struggled to wash her face and get dressed. She took a quick look at her script, the project still didn't have a name, she just put "SHARON TEZ'S STORY BY GEORGIA DEACON". It was as if the paper was staring at her, compelling her, ordering her to do one more necessary thing that day. She sighed deeply and did what she felt she needed to do.

Georgia came down the stairs, with the pile of paper under her arm, which soon caught her mother's attention.

"Good morning, sunshine" Eliza smiled "do you have an appointment for today?"

"Good morning, and no, I don't, why?" asked Gia back.

"These papers seem to be very important" her mother deduced.

"Well, and they are" was all the girl managed to say at the moment, biting her lip.

Georgia wanted to be more prepared for this, to tell her decision, but she needed a little more courage. Nothing like breakfast to help with that. She kissed the face of her father, who was sitting at the table and only then looked for something to eat. With the plate full of toast in front of her and a nice cup of Earl Gray tea, Georgia sat across from Robert. It didn't take long for Eliza to join her husband, realizing that her daughter was apprehensive about something.

"Well, mom, dad, there's something I need to tell you, it's very important" she started the matter after finishing eating.

"Okay, dear, we are listening" Robert left her free to speak.

"I thought a lot, I really thought, a lot really, I considered all the possibilities, everything for and against and I think I decided what I want to do with my life" Gia said, determined.

"Calm down, this seems to be very serious, but you need not worry so much" her mother advised.

"Yes, I do, Mom," Georgia reaffirmed, "because my choice has many risks."

"Okay, better say it soon" Robert was getting worried.

"I just ask you not to laugh" pleaded the girl and the parents redoubled their attention to take her seriously "I decided to be a screenwriter, I was working on a script this morning, and I will see if any studio buys the idea, but no worry, I intend to enroll in film school and everything, I will make a loan, I will pay as soon as I can, but mom, dad, is what I want to do, is what I feel would make me happy for the rest of life."

"Well, Gia, if that's what you want, we won't say no" Eliza answered for her and her husband "I confess that this was not what I was expecting, but it seems to me that you already have everything well planned and it's just following it."

"I agree with your mother" Robert smiled "I just ask you not to give up, keep being brave and determined, andin case things don't go so well the first few times, we will be here, continuing to support you, without fail."

"Ah thank you, thank you" Georgia stood up at once and hugged them both "you can't imagine how relieved I am to hear this, you took a heavy weight off my back."

"And we are happy to see you so light" smiled her mother, happy.

"But Liz, I still have to say something" Rob made a point of saying.

"What?" his wife was curious.

"Our Georgia was to be expected to have a little to do with George Lucas," he said.

Gia laughed, laughing at the reference to the origin of her name, as her and the creator of Star Wars were filmmakers, but Eliza shook her head, finding the joke a bit silly.

"I will consider this a compliment" resumed the daughter "I want you to read my script, I want you to be the first to read it, please."

"Okay, miss. Screenwriter" the mother said in a tone of praise.

Georgia's parents read their script together, sitting next to each other. It was one of the most beautiful moments that their daughter had ever seen them, once again they showed the unity of the family and the love and support they would always give her.


	12. Secret Plans

When Lucy stretched, finally waking up, for a second her brain was surprised where she was, until she remembered the visit to Rami. It was amazing how comfortable she felt there, all this was due to Rami's simple presence and company, and because he was so attentive. Well, too attentive, she was surprised to open her eyes and find her boyfriend staring at her. His expression was cute, in love, but even so, it was kind of weird that he just stood there watching her sleep. Lucy decided to make a mental note that maybe this was one of his secret ways. To make sure of that, she thought it didn't hurt to ask.

"Hi, good morning ..." she murmured.

"Good morning" Rami smiled and sat on the bed, kissing her right after.

"Listen, has it been there a long time or have you just arrived now?" she asked casually.

"Oh, I think I have been here for a while, sorry about that, I think I scared you" he commented.

"To be honest, Rami, it scared me" Lucy ended up laughing "it's kind of strange that you wake up with someone already looking at you."

"I'm sorry about that" he blushed a little and was sincere in his apologies, but he didn't lose his good mood "but it's your fault."

"My fault? What do you mean, Malek?" She opened a smile of indignation.

"You are very beautiful when you are sleeping" Rami shook his head, as if that was irremediable "I lost myself looking at you and in my memories."

"Memories? What were you thinking, huh?" Lucy was curious.

"About us, how did we become friends, until we got here" he gave her a shy smile.

"Good memories, I like how everything worked out" she commented.

"Me too" agreed Rami, completing with another kiss.

He left his girlfriend at ease to get ready and waited for her sitting at the breakfast table. Lucy sat with him and they ate together, taking the opportunity to look on their social media. Joe's photos in England soon made her miss him.

"So Joe really went to London" Lucy brought up the subject.

"Ah yes, he told me he would go, said that the initial idea was his mother's, but you know what? I think he really wanted to go too, and it will be good for him, after everything that happened" commented Rami.

"Yes, it's very difficult, but I am happy to see that he is feeling better now" she sighed for her friend.

After a while, Rami looked back at Lucy, expecting something that she still didn't quite understand what it was.

"So what are we going to do today?" he finally said something, besides just looking.

"A tour in New York is always good, I really like it here, a lot because of you, but also for other things" said Lucy.

"Oh yes? What else makes you like it so much here?" He made a puzzled face that made her laugh.

"Well, the sights are cool, Central Park seems like a very peaceful and quiet place, and I would be lying if I said I don't like shopping!" She smiled condescendingly and laughed.

"I knew you were going to say something like that" Rami blurted out.

"What can I do? I'm a bit of a materialist,” she joked.

"No, you're not like that, Lucy Boynton" he shook his head, approaching her, stealing another kiss.

"I can get used to it, you know?" she said, enjoying the moment "breakfast waiting for me as soon as I wake up, a boyfriend who loves me, is all I needed."

"Do you really want this every day?" He spoke in a tone that Lucy understood as a joke, after all, that was what they were doing, playing between the lines of a real feeling, but for Rami, that question was a test.

"It's great to have it all" she shrugged and laughed again, it was a sign that she didn't understand what he really meant.

So, they went out for a walk in the city together, walked casually, as if they were a normal couple, until some fans showed up and reminded them of who they were. It was still surreal to reconcile the success that "Bohemian Rhapsody" had been and how it all reverberated for Rami and Lucy, much of it was the result of their good work and it was always gratifying to receive recognition and attention. Taking pictures and signing autographs was something they were getting used to, something in common that they shared, two up-and-coming artists beginning to deal with a hitherto recent fame.

Rami and Lucy had fun together that day, enjoying each other's company, but something was hidden inside his mind, a real secret, that didn't leave him alone. Lucy was the woman of his life, his light, his direction, who made his life make perfect sense, where his whole heart was, and certainly about all of that, all Rami wanted was to marry her.

The problem was whether this was what Lucy wanted, too. For now, they were having a good, healthy and stable relationship, getting to know each other better, everything was fine between them, but Rami felt ready for the next step, he just didn't want to scare Lucy with a surprising request, he would like to know her opinion first, make sure they were thinking the same way about the same subject.

When he mentioned being together every day, he waited for her to elaborate, to even think and say that it would be nice to live together. But she just laughed and joked, typical Lucy he loved, but maybe it was the context of the conversation, they were just kidding. He started to think of a better way to bring up the subject.

At lunchtime, they sat down together, Rami continued to smile while looking at her, and she happily looked at him with the same affection. Suddenly, she was surprised by something she had seen on her cell phone.

"Oh my God, had you seen that?" Lucy turned the phone to Rami, he managed to capture a photo of Gwilym and the Doctor Who logo on the side.

"Will Gwil be in Doctor Who? Seriously?" the news impressed Rami.

"Yes, it's true, wow, he must be so happy" Lucy commented.

"Sure, and me too, I'm sure the series will get even better with him" Rami smiled.

Thus, the two congratulated Gwilym by message, and Rami's plans were for another more opportune moment that would appear later.


	13. A better idea

Jane had finished inspecting the costumes that would be used that afternoon on the shoot when Gwilym had arrived, just in time for him to change.

"Good afternoon, Jane, how are you?" he greeted her before anything.

"Hi, Gwil, I was waiting for you " she smiled, handing over the clothes that Terry would wear in the episode that they would record that day.

"Thank you" he thanked and remembered to say one more thing, which was important "oh, I hope you haven't forgotten your poster, because I didn't forget to sign it."

"Oh no, not at all, actually I left him on the couch as soon as I got home, you know? For me to go down the hall when it comes to work and not forget" Jane chuckled at her strategy.

"Okay then, I'll go there and see you later" Gwilym said goodbye.

"Ok, good work" the costume designer wished.

"Thanks" he thanked again and left.

Gwilym was grateful that today's scenes were calmer. There wasn't that much running, but there was tension when the Doctor tried to solve a math problem that also involved Terry's sister. It was a little intense in the dramatic part of the episode for Gwilym, but he loved scenes like that, that's where his acting skills were tested to the extreme, showing that he was able to thrill anyone who was watching.

Jodie, Gwil and the rest of the cast had a short break, in which everyone was able to talk a little more with each other and at the same time, rest from the recordings. It was during this period that he had an idea. Among the actors who were present there, the subject of acting and different methods for that came up, which made Gwilym remember how Ben, Joe and Rami focused differently before entering the character and, remembering his three friends, he thought something else that would make Jane very happy.

A little later, the work was resumed, many scenes were redone, mainly some striking lines from the Doctor, and after the director felt that he had enough and satisfactory material, the team was dismissed to return home, another day of mission accomplished and work well done had passed.

"Jane, I'm back!" Gwilym called her, enjoying a moment of pause by the costume designer at her work.

"Hi, so, here's my poster, of course, if you don't mind signing it now, if you have anything else to do, I hope, no problem" she offered the poster, but picked it up a little while she spoke, kind of flustered.

"No, I can sign it right now" Gwil gave a conciliatory smile "but ... I've been thinking about another possibility too."

"Really?" that piqued Jane's curiosity "what did I ... anyway, what did you think?'

"I thought Ben and Joe could also sign" he said at once "you know, Joe is in London now, and Rami, well, I don't know when Rami could come here, but ..."

"Seriously? No, no, you don't have to disturb Mr. Malek, if only Mr. Hardy and Mr. Mazzello sign, and you, of course, will be good for me already" she was excited about the possibility.

"Actually, Jane, they had the idea to come visit me here on the set one day, my wife also wanted to come, and if I brought the boys tomorrow, to meet you too?" Gwilym made one more suggestion, which made his friend even more excited and excited, and speechless too.

"Would you do that, Gwilym? I don't even know how to thank you" she wanted to hug him, but she stopped herself.

"Well, you are welcome, I just need to give you some advice when you meet the boys" he added.

"Ah yes, you can say it" Jane restrained herself.

"They will be very embarrassed if you call them sir or mister, they're just Joe and Ben" Gwilym laughed softly.

"Of course, it's just me who is so formal, they are manias at work, you know? Professionalism and respect and everything, always advise you to call the actors by their last name, but don't worry, I'll use only the first names" Jane made a gesture that showed that she would rule out being too formal with Gwilym's friends.

"I know," Gwil agreed with her, and then signed Jane's poster.

It was the classic poster with yellow and purple highlighted, and Rami's curved silhouette like Freddie singing on Live Aid in the middle. They said their goodbyes once again and, on returning home, Gwilym was willing to reinforce the invitation for Louisa and the boys to come to the Doctor Who set.

When he got home, he found his wife sitting with Edith, watching the little girl eat a few pieces of pear in a very cute way, it looked like it was her favorite fruit.

"Hello my loves!" He greeted his family, kissing Louisa and Edith's cheek quickly.

"Hi, Gwil, was everything all right at work today?" asked Mrs. Lee cordially.

"Ah yes, yes" he nodded "yes, Lou, remember when I talked about you going to visit the set? I think tomorrow would be a good day for you to go."

"Seriously? Okay, I'll go, and it's okay for me to take Di, right?" she wanted to be sure.

"No, no way, I will love that my two stars are there" Gwil smiled, satisfied "I will also call Ben and Joe to go."

"And can you take everyone with you, without any problems? I don't want Chibnall scolding you for that" Louisa said playfully.

"No, he said there was no problem the day I asked, and you won't go around spreading spoilers and other details that you see" he pondered.

"I know I can keep a secret, I just don't know about Joe" Louisa ended up laughing, which made her husband smile.

"I know you're kidding, he will keep the secrets" Gwilym gave credit to his friend.

Since Louisa had accepted the invitation, now all he needed to do was talk to Joe and Ben. Gwilym sent the same message to both, separately.

"Are you going to go to the set with Louisa tomorrow?"

The pair of friends received the message at the same time, and they were in the same place when they read it, which made them react almost together.

"Yay!" shouted Joe.

"Mate!" exclaimed Ben "Gwil asked me to go to the set."

"Me too, Benny, we sure will," Joe confirmed.

They responded positively and Gwilym smiled, just reading it he could imagine their enthusiasm.

"Come here after 11, we'll be waiting" was his reply, and so, the Lees would have a very Whovian meeting with Joe and Ben, which made them all anxious. The boys and Louisa tried to imagine what it would be like, while Gwilym just wanted to see their happy and enthusiastic reaction.


	14. Coffee Meeting

Louisa left work in a hurry that day, so much so that she could even match the rush of her students when classes ended.

"Something happened, Mrs. Lee?" some dared to ask, finding her behavior strange, she always expected everyone to leave first.

"Nothing, just a very special meeting with my husband" she gave them a satisfied smile and her teenage students understood her exaggerated romance.

Upon arriving home, Gwilym and Edith were ready for their big ride. They had lunch together before they left and only then did Gwilym take them to see his work. The child inside Louisa felt that she was traveling in her own time and space machine across several multiverses, as if suddenly the family car had become the TARDIS.

As they passed through the parking lot of the main BBC studio, she began to feel her heart flutter, thinking that it was there that one of her favorite things from all over the world was manufactured, and that she kept it with all her heart.

They got out of the car, Louisa held the little girl in her arms, but Edith gave an impulse to go down to the floor, her mother granted her wish and the girl almost ran, but her parents were smart enough to catch up with her. Edith then accepted the hands that Dad and Mom offered her, and the three walked together to Gwilym's workplace.

During the short journey, Mrs. Lee came face to face with a large Doctor Who billboard, with the preliminary photo of the Doctor with Terry at her side. Once again, Louisa experienced the strange sensation of seeing her husband as someone else. She looked with curiosity and amazement at the promotional material.

"This is kind of premature ..." Gwilym commented, following his wife's gaze "I mean, they won't release this poster now, only after the season is over."

"I understand" Louisa nodded absently "wow ..."

"Sorry for the bad impression" he was already apologizing, thinking she was offended.

"Gwilym Lee, how many times do I have to say that I don't get scared anymore by your fame that much, this is incredible, really, I'm proud of you, my love" Louisa returned to her usual playful tone, kissing his cheek quickly, breaking all the tension of the moment.

They noticed more people getting there and were happy to be just Ben and Joe.

"Coincidence, we meeting you right here," Ben commented.

"Yeah, we were seeing something" explained Gwilym "so are you ready?"

"I think so" Joe nodded, facing the adventure.

Gwilym led the way, introducing them first to Chris Chibnall and then to Jodie Whittaker, who had just arrived. Joe and Ben praised her, as they loved their version of the Doctor, because she is spontaneous, fun and full of quirks. A little later, she and Louisa met and Jodie was delighted with Edith.

"Oh my God, is this your little girl, Gwil? She is so beautiful ..." the actress approached the little Miss. Lee, who seemed to recognize her at the time, looking at her with wide eyes "hi Edith, it's me, the Doctor!"

Edith ended up laughing at Jodie's excitement. Eventually, the visitors sat down, while the entire team worked to start recording. Before they started, Gwilym took his wife and friends to a few more places, like the TARDIS stage, which left the three of them with their mouths open.

"Man, this is very real ..." murmured Ben, looking at the place.

'Look at all those buttons!" Joe kept an eye on the control panel, controlling himself not to press everything at once.

"Don't break anything, Joe" Louisa joked, realizing his intentions.

"No, I won't, you can leave it to me, this is too sacred for me to break" he finally decided, still watching everything, amazed.

"Beautiful ..." Edith murmured next to her mother, paying attention to the bright colors around her "beautiful ..."

"What? What my love? You are talking? Gwilym, boys, look at Di talking ..." Louisa was thrilled at such a feat by her daughter.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" she repeated some more, her father laughed at her discovery, kissing her cheek.

"Beautiful is you, my little girl" Gwilym smiled at her again.

It had certainly been remarkable for the Lees to see their daughter speaking for the first time inside the TARDIS. Gwil continued to show more things, getting lost in time a little, which caused an agitated Jane to run after him, with a glass of tea in hand.

While they were getting to know everything, Jane was already getting her job done and she really needed Gwilym to try on an armor, so she ran after him, taking the opportunity to get iced tea on the way. The problem was that her haste made her commit a terrible accident.

There was a man beside Gwilym, a little shorter than him. In Jane's view, it was as if he was an obstacle that was diverting her from speaking to those she need to. As she got closer, she intended to excuse herself, but the man turned sharply to look at something behind him, and the shock against Jane was inevitable. They crashed into each other, wetting themselves with iced tea.

"My God, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't want that ..." Joe Mazzello's voice failed a little after repeating so many excuses.

"No, I'm sorry" Jane looked down, without barely recognizing who was in front of her "it's that I came in a hurry, I shouldn't be running with a full glass in my hand, I just came to call Gwil because time is short and ... oh my God ..."

Jane stopped chattering and looked ahead, recognizing who she had run into.

"If there's anything I can do to repay you" Joe tried to offer, desperate.

"Actually, there is" Jane sighed, recovering from the fright "Gwilym, go to the dressing room now and try on what I already separated for you, the team will help you get dressed."

Lee nodded, a little out of breath, acknowledging his mistake in being a little late.

"Well, I was talking about me" Joe commented on the attitude of the girl he had just met.

"Yeah, I know, it's because I came here because of Gwil, we have schedules to keep, but ..." Jane cleared her throat, looking at Joe again "it's a pleasure to meet you, Joe."

" Likewise, Miss ...?" He smiled, friendly.

"Glouster, Jane Glouster" she introduced herself, feeling calmer "I'm from the costume department, we have some clothes left over if you want to change, or you can look for a cloth in the kitchen to dry, if it's better for you."

"I think it will be better for the two of us to change" he still regretted the accident.

Joe followed Jane into her office, ready to solve the problem that had come up so suddenly and that the two were sharing.


	15. Sudden Fear

Louisa and Ben observed the entire accident in a curious and concerned way, inside themselves, they thought of doing something and intervening, but apparently, Jane and Joe were responsible adults who handled the accident better than expected. Mrs. Lee remembered a place near the film crew that Gwilym had indicated to her earlier, where she and Ben could sit without disturbing the filming and other parts of the job.

As for Jane, arriving in her office, she chose a spare T-shirt for Joe and offered it to him, leaving him free to change. In the meantime, she tried to dry herself, hoping that her T-shirt wouldn't be stained with tea.

"Thank you for helping me" said Joseph, still a little embarrassed and a little shy, for being alone with the costume designer under those circumstances "and I'm sorry again."

"What? No, everything is settled, Joe, Joe, I hope you don't mind me calling you Joe, he said I could call you Joe, he's Gwilym" Jane replied, speaking in her light way, looking at the floor sometimes, arranging the glasses over the nose, moving her bangs, all strategy to deal with nervousness.

"So Gwilym told me about you, cool, as long as he told you only the good things" Joe tried to joke to calm her down.

"Actually, it didn't take much, I ... well, don't have me as a crazy fan, but I know you, Joe, I mean from the movies, especially Bo Rhap" Jane brought up the subject, really calmer "I love Queen today up to date a lot because of you, not that the original band is no longer perfect and you are also, acting ... in fact, I told all this to Gwil, anyway, I just wanted to say that I think you are a very talented person."

"Wow, I ... well I didn't expect so many compliments right here, I mean, Jodie and Gwil are the stars here, but thanks Jane, really' he smiled, and it turned out that the two blushed, Joe because of the compliments, Jane for being so close to the one she admired.

It turned out that Joe ended up looking curiously around, admiring the clothes there, and Jane followed his gaze.

"Were you the one who did all this?" he asked casually.

"Well, I drew all this, but my sewing team made everything possible" she was modest and realistic.

In that, Joe ended up asking more about the costume process and Jane was happy to talk about something she liked so much. While they didn't even watch the time go by in their own private conversation, the rest of the team prepared other important parts to bring Chris Chibnall's script to life. Ben, Louisa and Edith saw Jodie and Gwilym perform on the surface of a strange planet, which had been created in the studio. It was surrounded by twisted and apparently old and abandoned structures, a feature that is so well known that the Doctor herself spoke to Terry about it.

They had another short break, Gwilym came to talk a little with his wife, daughter and friend, missing Joe.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Wonderful, Gwil." Ben gave him a small smile.

"It's amazing to think how something that seems so simple and confined to a confined space becomes something so epic when we watch it on TV" Louisa pointed out, delighted.

She watched her husband go back to work and then, a movement near them caught her attention. People on the team were pushing huge structures with somewhat comical shapes, in the shape of salt shakers, but for Louisa, there was nothing comical about that. The child inside her only saw a horde of daleks coming threateningly at her.

Lou was startled, feeling goose bumps in the back and the neck, she took a deep breath, trying not to alarm Ben and Edith, nor to attract the attention of any employee, let alone disturb Gwilym.

"Are you all right, Lou?" Ben leaned toward her, noticing her discomfort.

"Yes, I am" she was quick to answer, trying to dispel her fear "I ... can you stay with Edith just a little, please?"

"Of course" Ben nodded, even though he had his own fears about taking care of children, he understood that his friend needed help.

He picked Edith up and saw Louisa hurriedly out of the studio. Outside, she leaned down a little, hands on her knees, taking a deep breath, trying to find the breath that didn't seem to want to return. With a hand on her forehead, she tried to straighten up again. Even standing, her back was still slightly arched forward, so she put a hand on her chest,returning to the rhythm of normal breathing. When she felt scared and alone, Gwilym hadn't taken long to appear, her prince charming almost never failed and when she needed it most, there he was. Even so, Louisa felt guilty.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you, it wasn't my intention" she looked at her husband, holding on to keep from crying.

"No, we're almost done today" he hugged her without hesitation "I came as soon as I could, what happened, my love? Was it the daleks?'

"Oh ..." she sighed, with her chin resting on his shoulder "you know me too well ..."

"I'm sorry, Louisa, really" he touched her face, looking at her tenderly "I knew about the episode with the daleks, but I didn't know that the daleks would get ready today, I didn't know."

"I know, no problem, it's just ..." she swallowed "seeing them so close really scared me, it's such a silly fear, I don't know why it still scares me ..."

"It's okay, really, there's no problem with that" Gwilym hugged her again, but at the same time, a somewhat dangerous idea crossed his mind "Lou?"

"Hmm...?" she murmured in response.

"Nothing, nothing at all, be calm" he preferred to keep the plan to himself for now, his poor wife was too shaken to accept what he intended to propose.

She nodded, accepting to take the hand Gwilym offered her, returning to the studio. Gradually, Louisa felt better and the panic of that bad moment had passed. A little while later, Joe finally came back to where they were, Jane was with him.

"You finally showed up, you missed a lot of cool stuff" Ben commented on the size of his absence.

"Oh I think I can come another day - Joseph shrugged - but my time was very useful, Jane was telling me some interesting things about costumes that I had never think about."

"Well, I just explained what my job was" Jane gave them a shy smile.

"Ah by the way Jane" said Gwilym "you didn't get to know Ben."

"Nice to meet you" the young actor shook her hand affectionately "Gwil told us about you being our fan."

-It's true - she said shyly.

-What reminds me of your poster - Gwilym said, Jane nodded and ran to get it.

Gwilym, Ben and Joe kindly signed, promising that they would return their precious item with Rami's autograph as well. So they said goodbye to Jane and the Doctor Who studios, but only for now. Gwil intended to bring Louisa again and Joe hoped to see Jane again.


	16. Exterminating Fear

The Lees' day had been fun, Louisa had to admit it to herself, after all, it wasn't every day that she could move freely around the studios where her favorite series was recorded and that was a privilege she had. Despite the bitterness that the meeting with the daleks had brought, the rest of the day had been fun.

Over time, she forgot about that bad moment, but Gwilym remained concerned about it. He let a few days pass, giving his wife time to reconcile his latent emotions. When he realized that she was totally better, he proposed his bold idea that it could go quite wrong, in a very disguised way.

"You know Lou, the shootings are ending" he started talking about a day that had just arrived from work.

"Seriously? It seems that it passed so fast and everything is already ending ..." she was a little surprised by this statement "I think it is as they say, everything good is short lived."

"Yeah, don't tell me, it was the fastest three months of my life, but very rewarding" he added "but even so, after everything is ready, it will be gratifying to see the full episodes."

"True, seeing the final result gives you the peaceful feeling of accomplished mission" commented Mrs. Lee at last.

"So, Lou, if you want to, in fact, if you can go with me again so you don't miss this unique opportunity to see the studios again, it will be very good" Gwilym invited casually.

"Okay, you don't need to persuade me more than that, I'll love going again, thanks for calling me again" she touched his hand, in a sign that she liked the idea.

So, the very next day, Gwilym and his family were present at the BBC studios, Louisa accompanied some funnier scenes, along with some special guests who seemed to be the comic reliefs of the episode, which put her in a good mood, better than Gwilym could predict.

When the recordings ended and everyone was released, he took the opportunity to put his plan into practice.

"My love, could you leave Edith with Jane just for a moment? There is something that ... I wanted to show you" he suggested, hoping that his wife would not be suspicious, which was very difficult.

"Okay, I just don't know what you're up to, but luckily I trust you," Louisa said, clearly suspicious.

Jane was happy to be with Edith for a while, she also liked the little girl and wanted to help Gwilym, even without knowing what he was planning too.

Gwilym held Louisa's hand tightly, walking down a corridor and reaching a wide, peculiar door, the entrance to a larger shed. He took a deep breath before opening the door, under her curious and confused look.

When looking at what was in that place, Mrs. Lee held her husband's hand tighter, controlling herself between fear and anger, but she behaved well when she saw that there were more people there, some technicians.

"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered angrily to her husband.

"Forgive me, forgive me" it was all Gwil could repeat, then he turned to the technicians, disguising the situation in the best possible way "hi, Randy, good afternoon, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Gwilym, hi, no, not at all" the man stopped touching the dalek prototypes to greet the actor.

"This is my wife, Louisa" he smiled, gesturing to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lee" Randy replied "so, Gwilym came to show you a little behind the scenes?"

"Yeah, I think that was his idea" she said between anger and panic.

"Randy, can you show us how daleks work?" Gwilym asked suggestively.

"Of course, it will be a pleasure" the man smiled.

And suddenly, before the Lees' eyes, as if by magic, he entered inside one of the structures of the daleks. That surprised Louisa even more.

"So that's how they work? Isn't it claustrophobic or something?" she asked, looking for any sign of Randy.

"Not after you get used to it," the dalek's voice spoke and the man opened the head compartment, stepping out of it like William Hartnell did once in the series.

"This is interesting" praised Mrs. Lee.

Randy explained more about the structures, how he maintained them, how they did it to record and repair parts that could be broken by accident. After all, she thanked the employee for his patience and time. When the couple left, Gwilym wore a victorious smile, but it faded when he saw his wife's angry face staring at him.

"I asked your forgiveness ..." he started to beg.

"I thought you loved me" she countered !taking me into a room with one of the things I am most afraid of in the world since I was a child, even after I had that panic attack the other day ... Gwilym, that was very brave of you, dangerous, but smart."

"So, you understood what I wanted to do, what was my real intention" he wanted to know.

"That was it, you wanted me to face my fear and see for myself that they are just people dressed in robots with the voice of a sore throat1 Louisa laughed at her own tone of humor, leaving her husband much calmer 'Gwilym , despite the scare, I know you really love me.'

'And how I love you, I love you very much" he hugged her, and kissed her cheek "I'm happy to see you better."

"Thanks, I love you too" she kissed him quickly and they went back to where their daughter was.

Jane was playing with Edith, clapping her hands with the little girl, who got all excited when she saw her parents.

"Mommy ..." Edith called for Louisa, in her baby way.

"We didn't take that long, did we?" Mrs. Lee picked up his daughter and spoke to Jane.

"No, I barely noticed your absence, I don't think Edith did either, she was very entertained here, your daughter is cute" Miss. Glouster praised.

"Thanks for everything, Jane" Gwilym thanked "see you tomorrow."

"Sure, bye Lees" she smiled as she said goodbye.

"Goodbye" said the couple at the same time.

Louisa returned home even more delighted with Gwilym, thinking how much he had risked, but all to make her feel better. For their sake, his plan had worked perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, I just want to seize this space to tell you that I'm fine, keeping home and getting all the precautions I can. My city is free of CODVID-19 for now. In these dark times, I ask you to be patience and positive, we'll get through this. Meanwhile, I'll keep writing to help me cope with it and I expect to help you when you read my stories. Take care, thank you, see you next time.


	17. Special Delivery

Joe had taken Jane's poster back home, or at least, his temporary home, primarily known as Ben's apartment.

It was a simple sheet of cardboard with the art of the film, but it had such a special meaning for Jane that it ended up becoming special for Joe too, precisely for that reason. Except that the promise he had made still had a small obstacle in front of him to be fulfilled. Rami was in the United States at the time and Joe thought about asking when his friend could come to England.

"Joe? Hi, man, how nice of you to call" Rami answered his cell phone when he saw his call "how are things going there? We haven't spoken in a while."

"Hi, Rami, I'm fine, it has been great to be here, I'm sorry for having sort of disappeared, but you know, London is my second favorite place in the world" Joe justified "but you're right, I missed you."

"And us too, Lucy was talking about you these days" Rami continued.

"Oh send her a kiss, look, man, I'm calling to ask a favor, no, I think it's more to ask for one thing, no, that's not it, ok, I think it's both, but let's go first with the question" Joe chattered and then took a breath.

"Okay, now that you've calmed down, you can talk, I'll answer anything you want" Rami clarified.

"Okay" continued his friend on the other side "do you have plans to come here soon?"

"Oh no, Joe, I don't intend to go to England, no matter how nice it is, but I have some responsibilities here, but maybe in the middle of the year I can go" Rami replied, getting curious "can I know why?"

"Ah this is an interesting story" Joe smiled "you know that Gwil is filming Doctor Who, and a while ago we visited the set and I met Jane, the costume designer, she said she is super fan of ours, she even has a poster of Bo Rhap, me, Benny and Gwil signed, and I promised Jane that I would find a way to get your signature too, so ..."

"I'd have to be there to sign" Rami understood "well, there is no way I can be there, but we can find a way, I think your initiative is cool."

"Ah thanks, look Rami, I think I just had an idea" Joe warned "I can send you by mail and you send it back to me, what do you think?"

"Not quite the solution I was thinking, but yes, I do it" Rami agreed "I will wait for your order and more news from you."

"You can leave it to me, I'll send Ben's address and more news from me" Joe replied "and thank you, Rami."

"You're very welcome, even more, my friend, take care" Rami said goodbye.

"Bye" Joe hung up.

Soon after, he sent Ben's address, hoping his plan would work. Meanwhile, Jane, unaware of what Joe had planned, was becoming apprehensive.

For a moment, she thought she had lost her poster forever, just to one of the stars in the film that the poster advertised. He even thought about asking Gwilym if Joe would still take the poster back, or if he had even thrown it away, because in the end he thought she was a fool for trusting him.

From then on, Jane put an end to her negative thoughts. Joe wasn't bad, she had no bad feeling about him, but still, she still had the chance that he was such a good actor that he had deceived her. No, Jane refused to be so paranoid, there must be a good reason for so long. To silence her conspiracy theories, she decided to speak directly to Gwilym.

"Gwil, can I ask you something? I already warn you that it can be kind of weird" she started, talking to him before he left.

"No problem, Jane." He smiled understandingly.

"Joe said something from my poster? He said a long time ago ... Well, he'd give me back" she rolled her hands, feeling embarrassed.

"Ah yes, he told me about the poster coming back from New York" Gwilym said "I'm not sure what that means, it seems like one of his crazy plans, but don't worry, Joe's crazy things usually become things good in the end."

"Oh ..." murmured Jane, more worried.

"Calm down, I'll ask him to return it, don't worry, Jane" Gwilym said goodbye with that promise.

"Thank you" Jane decided to trust him.

Her distress ended sooner than expected. She had just finished dressing up for the day when she felt the presence of someone at her office door.

"How can I help?" She started to speak before totally turning around, so after finishing her sentence, she was surprised to see Joe there, somewhat shy.

"Hi Jane" he greeted.

"Hi" she replied, staring at her poster in his hands.

"I'm sorry for taking so long to return it" he went on and handed her the poster "but I was worried about fulfilling what I had promised you."

"Ok ..." Jane was a little confused, but she understood everything when she opened the poster and saw Rami's signature along with the other three "what? You..."

"I had to send the poster by mail, so that Rami could sign it, since he couldn't come here" he explained.

"You sent to New York and then back? My God ... You didn't need to ..." Jane was impressed by his effort.

"No, come on, it was nothing, it was a good way to thank you for enjoying our work" he assured.

"Thank you, really thank you." Jane looked at him, touched, so touched, that for a moment she was taken by the impulse and hugged Joe without hesitation.

"You're welcome" he returned, feeling beyond happy, welcomed, comforted, felt good because of that gesture of affection.

"Are there anything else I can do to thank you?" Jane wanted to be able to repay more.

"Ah I don't know, how about having coffee?" Joe suggested naturally.

"Okay, but let me pay, please" she asked.

"Okay, I promise not to give you a hard time" he smiled - I... I'll come here, after your shift."

"Okay, I'll wait, and thanks again, Joe" she smiled back.

So, he let her work, finally Jane was much calmer after so long of worry.


	18. A coffee and art

There was something about Jane Glouster that just managed to get a smile from Joe Mazzello with the greatest ease in the world, not that he was difficult to make smile, he was humorous and optimistic by nature, but thinking about her made him feel good, to think that she was a charming and interesting person, especially talented.

He had been too distracted the day he visited the Doctor Who set to hear her talk about so many interesting things about her profession, which she loved so much, and explained in such detail and excitement, she was a perfect person to share a good time with common conversation, so he was excited to think what he and Jane would talk about that afternoon.

Joe ended up going around London again, while he waited for the time to pass, waiting for the time to meet Jane, without Ben's company this time, young Hardy was attending studio meetings, deciding the details of his next job.

Jane, for her part, had created some more clothes for the end of the Doctor Who season, helping the prop team with the alien costumes. It was a little bit of work, so she was tired, sat down for a while, just waiting for Joe. When she sat down, she even thought about getting a coffee, but remembered that this was exactly what she was about to do with Joe, which made the costume designer laugh. Joe ended up entering her office just then, his keen curiosity eager to discover the reason for Jane's laughter.

"Oh hi, there you are" she stood up, adjusting her glasses over her nose and moving her bangs.

"Are you all right? I hope I'm not disturbing you" he approached and smiled "I said at the reception that I was looking for you."

"Well, I'm here, and ready to go, if you don't mind, I really need to have coffee now" Jane confessed, sounding nice.

"You really like coffee, right?" Joe laughed softly "thankfully that's what we're going to do."

"You're right, I love coffee, but I like other things too," she added.

So Jane grabbed her bag and coat, leaving the workplace. Joe followed, still feeling a little lost in so many hallways and rooms. Finally, they reached the parking lot, and Joe had already raised an arm asking for a taxi, before Jane caught up with him on the sidewalk and could do something about it.

"Ah I thought we could go by subway or bus ..." she scratched her head, a little embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, I think it's better to take a taxi, we got there faster, but ..." he hesitated, realizing a flaw in his plan "you are going to choose the place because, well, I know London, more or less."

"More or less?" Jane wanted to know.

"Exactly more or less, not as bad as the first time I stayed here, you know?" He explained.

"Ah yes, well, I have a place in mind" she declared, Joe gave her a relieved smile, Jane had everything under control.

They climbed into the taxi that stopped, the vehicle took them to the place that Jane had requested. The cafe on the corner was very charming and very English to Joe's taste, it was a little place to feel at ease, and that was how he expected to feel. Jane went in a hurry to the counter, her need for coffee was so great, she soon asked for her favorite, but then she felt guilty for leaving Joe a little behind, forgetting for a moment that she was accompanied. Jane waited for his coffee next to him, helping him choose, showing which would be the best choice following his tastes.

"Uh ... sorry for running so suddenly, I really just wanted a cup of coffee ..." she apologized "you can choose where we sit ..."

"Of course, no problems, thank you" he smiled at her kindness.

He looked around the cafe and chose a more secluded spot, Jane had approved of that choice and sat down with him. She took a first sip of coffee before saying anything, Joe ended up thinking of something to talk about in the meantime.

"So ... did you always want to be a costume designer?" he thought it would be a subject that Jane would feel comfortable with.

"Oh well, after childhood and adolescence" she chuckled "I was never much to care how I dressed, but I always liked to notice the evolution of clothes, you know? As one thing in a decade is the sensation of the moment and the other is grim and tacky, I think that's where the interest came from, and also the possibility of creating something from scratch, something that only exists in your head and after work becomes real and tangible."

"It's like a filmmaker thinks, I think we have this in common in our professions" Joe argued "when we have such a good idea that we want to share it with the world."

"Oh no, I don't know if I would be able to create a movie, but you seem to like it a lot, it's more than the work of an actor, but it's still related to the entire film and TV industry" Jane managed to see the points in common.

"Yes, yeah, sometimes I think about directing, precisely because of this thing of creating, but being an actor also allows that, for sure" he added.

"Yeah, your characters are very different from each other, if I may say so" said Jane, between another sip of coffee.

"No, no problem, actually, that's a compliment" he shrugged, relaxed.

"Oh good, it's because I've heard, seeing some critics, that they get tired of actors who always play the same type of character, I mean, they act in different roles, but doing almost nothing to differentiate one role from the other" Jane elaborated more "I don't know if I'm right, I just ... well, I like cinema ..."

"Sometimes that's exactly what happens and sometimes not" he replied "but I'm glad you said you like cinema, I love it too."

"Well, that's natural" she risked making a joke, which was well accepted by Joe.

"Yeah, but anyway, are you going to go to the movies one of these days with me?" he asked heartily "to continue this very interesting debate?"

"Wow, I ..." the suggestion scared Jane a little "ok, I think it won't be a problem, let's set a day for it ..."

"Cool" he smiled, his heart jumping to celebrate what he achieved.

"Yes" Jane accepted the idea better, while Joe drank some more of his coffee.

He suddenly had the idea, without much intention behind it, just spending more time with Jane, whom he was already considering a friend.


	19. Gia's search

It had been a while since Gia had finished her script. She realized that Ben was right, putting the story down on paper had been the first step in directing everything else. When she remembered Ben and Joe too, she made immediate contact with her now-old friend of her family, as Gia was still afraid to speak to Ben directly, not least because she only had Joseph's phone number.

"Gia, how are you?" Joe answered.

"Hello, Joe, I'm fine, how are you?" she asked back, out of politeness and also out of care for her friend.

"Great, really" he smiled "to what do I owe your lovely call?"

"Well, remember the conversation we had about taking a first step with my script?" she mentioned the matter "that's what I was doing a while ago, look, I really wanted you to take a look, and Ben, of course, if he doesn't mind."

"Ah yes, for sure we will both want to look" Joe was excited by the idea "listen, are you busy now? You could come here, Ben left but soon he'll be back."

"Wait, would here be his apartment? "Gia almost panicked at the possibility of going to Ben's house.

"It's where I'm staying, but don't worry, the apartment is practically mine too, good on a certain level, what I mean is that I can receive you without any problems, Ben will like the visit too" Joe tried to explain himself.

"Okay then" Gia eventually agreed "just tell me the address and I'll get there soon."

"Okay" he replied just like her, sounding as fun as ever, but dictating the address in a more normal tone.

Gia took notes and followed the bus route, using her common pass. She was happy to see that, even though Ben was a rising star, he lived in a very ordinary and normal place. With a certain nervousness, which increased a little more by her expectation than Joe would think of her script, she rang the doorbell, waiting for an answer.

"Hi, I'm glad you arrived quickly" Joe received her with all the joy he always had.

"Yeah, hi, Joe" she waved quickly and took courage to enter the apartment.

Joseph went away for a while and brought tea immediately, for which Gia was very grateful.

"So that good smell was tea, and my favorite by the way," she pointed out, recognizing Earl Gray.

"Yeah, I'm attentive to the details, your grandma commented on this once" Joe justified how he knew about it.

"You're the best guest host I've ever seen, Joe" she turned her head and touched his arm, in a sweet way.

"I think you just invented this" he pointed, while scratching his head "what reminds me of the script you invented, where is it?"

"Well, it's right here" she sighed "I hope it's not so bad that I'm an amateur."

"I'm sure it's good," he assured her.

Georgia entrusted her precious work to Joseph's hands, while she sipped her tea, he read in a voracious way, with trained actor eyes. It took a few more moments for him to finish, when the door opening interrupted them. Joe stopped reading to see who had arrived, Gia was startled with fright, Ben Hardy had arrived at his house.

"Come on, Benny! I was in the best part ..." complained Joe.

"What did I do wrong?" Hardy asked confused and only then noticed Georgia, getting a little embarrassed "Georgia, hi, I didn't know you were here."

"Oh sorry, Joe said it was okay for me to visit" she justified, feeling a little guilty for having surprised him.

"No, all right, I just meant that it's a good surprise that you're here" Ben soon fixed it, and smiling helped to improve the mood even more "how's your script going?"

"Well, right now, it's ready and in Joe's hands, he was reading and hasn't told me anything until now," Georgia said.

"Yeah, I didn't say anything because I haven't finished yet" he replied "excuse me, I'll finish soon and I'll comment it."

So he went to his room, and Georgia and Ben were confident that he would be back soon.

"About what is your script?" Ben brought up the subject, before they started to feel awkwardly silent.

"Ah about several things, I ended up joining two different genres, to end up doing something ... different ..." she couldn't elaborate more than that, he noticed her nervousness.

"Okay, just tell me the story, the initial premise" he asked more specifically.

"Okay, it's about a western girl, she's the daughter of a free slave and a white nurse, they live on a small farm" Georgia started "and well, one day, a long time ago, before any city existed there, a gun from outer space fell from a ship and got lost there, so the descendants of the girl's mother have taken care of this weapon ever since, until Sharon herself, who is the protagonist girl, has to decide what to do with it, with the help of some friends she makes along the way."

"Wow, it looks like a great blockbuster, just hearing the story over the top sounds really good" Ben praised, which made Georgia blush.

"Thanks" she gave him a shy smile.

"Well, guys, I just read it" Joe returned to the room "and look, it's one of the coolest things I've read in recent times! Gia, I saw the influence of Star Wars here, but that stampede of horses with the pursuit of ships? What a crazy thing! I even imagine how it will look on a big screen!"

"For that, I needed sponsorship" she pointed gently.

"Of course, I know, that's why I was thinking about something" Joe sat next to her "I have my contacts, Ben has theirs and Gwilym too, the three of us can come together, taking advantage of that I'm here and help you take this script to someone who is really interested and consider it as it deserves."

"Oh my God, are you seriously going to do that? For me? Wow, how can I thank you?" Georgia opened a huge smile, amazed by such kindness.

"It's not a big deal, Miss. Deacon" Joe waved his hand "you're my friend, and you're talented, that's why I'm going to give you that help."

"Me too, count on me" Ben thought it best to add, he was happy to be able to help.

"Ah thank you, thank you!" she repeated, overflowing with gratitude.

While Georgia heard Joe's comments, it was Ben's turn to read the script, confirming how good it was, as he had deduced from the beginning.


	20. Lucy's answer

After so much talk about going to London and the friends who were in England at the time, the idea of going there was growing in Rami's mind and heart, however, he was still busy with work and soon, Lucy would have to come home too, leaving her boyfriend to be the only one of the group of friends who would stay in the United States.

Thinking about Lucy leaving after a long time there, only prompted Rami to go deeper in his idea of asking her to marry him. Still, he didn't want to scare her, he didn't want to be so blunt, but everything indicated that he had no alternative to asking whether she wanted to get married now or not. After so many doubts here and there, and talking a little with his brother, who ended up liking the idea of him getting married soon, Rami remembered someone with whom he could get advice.

Gwilym was certainly the one who had the most traumatic experiences when it came to romance, of course, Joe and Ben had recent romantic difficulties, which unfortunately resolved in terms of which they were still recovering. But in Gwilym's case, things had worked out, it had been four years since he and Louisa had been together and three years had been happily married. Thus, Gwil was the one who could advise Rami in the face of this situation.

Taking advantage of the time difference and that Lucy wasn't at home, Rami made a call to England, which Gwilym answered immediately, with enthusiasm when she was able to speak with her friend who was so far away and whom he hadn't seen for a while.

"Hey man, how are you? How are things going, Rami?" asked Lee.

"I'm fine, Gwil, I'm working hard" Rami started talking "and thinking even more, and I'm also a little sad because Lucy will soon have to go home."

"Yeah, this distance thing sometimes doesn't help, I mean, I think it never helps" Gwil scratched his head, feeling sorry for his friend "but what are you thinking about so much?"

"So, Gwilym, I think my time has come" Malek was a little shy when talking about it.

"The time has come for what?" Lee suspected what it could mean.

"You know what I'm talking about, I ..." Rami sighed and took courage "I'm thinking of proposing to Lucy."

"Wow! That's great, Rami, great ... It was about time" Gwilym laughed, happy for the news, but without failing to notice his friend's concern "sorry for the jokes, what's the problem?"

"I don't want to scare her with this subject, we are living so well together, maybe something like that just spoils everything" confessed the American.

"Oh man ... well, I think your priority here is not to hurt Lucy" replied the Welshman, with a hand on his chin, thoughtful "have you ever touched on this subject?"

"No, never, that's why I'm so scared, I don't know what she thinks" Rami declared.

"My friend, I know what's going on, I worked out a way to raise this issue with Lou once and that's when I was sure she wanted to get married too" Gwilym recalled "maybe if you raise this issue, she can open her heart."

"Okay" Rami ended up conforming that she would have to be direct, like it or not "What if she doesn't want to get married now?"

"Well, it's not the end of the world" Gwil sighed "look, you said they are very well, so prolonging the relationship will not be bad, it will be good for you to give her time and space. I learned in a painful way that rushing things is bad, I had to give Louisa some time to feel comfortable and in the end, everything worked out."

"I know, that's exactly why I called you, everything worked out for you" commented Rami.

"As it will be for you" reaffirmed his Welsh friend "just be sincere, this is important in a relationship, she is very understanding and loves you, whatever she decides at the moment, her love for you will not change."

"How are you so sure?" Malek was impressed by his optimism.

"Because I know you both very well" Lee smiled, full of understanding "now go there and be the sweet and courageous Rami Malek I know."

"Thanks Gwil, I don't know if I'm all that, but thanks, man" Rami laughed softly.

"Yes you are, just accept the compliment" Gwil shrugged.

"Okay, thanks" the American summed up the conversation "say hi to Louisa and Edith for me."

"I will, be calm and tell me the news later" Gwilym said goodbye "see you!"

"See you, Gwil!" Rami hung up.

All that conversation had the effect of an injection of spirit in him, and so, Rami decided to proceed with what he intended to ask. During dinner the next day, Lucy seemed calm and relaxed, while Rami became more and more nervous.

"Are you alright love? You don't look very good to me ..." she commented, worried.

"I ... there's something I wanted to ask you" he looked away from her a little "in fact, I wanted to know about you."

"Yes, what is it?" Lucy was getting worried.

"What do you think about ... marriage in general, what are your expectations about it?" he said carefully.

"Wait, you ...?" she was a little shocked, but then she couldn't believe it "this is not a marriage proposal, is it?"

"No, it's not, I guarantee you not" he replied calmly "I was thinking of doing that, Lucy, but only if that's what you want, at the moment."

"Rami, I ..." she blinked several times, putting her thoughts in order "I think it's wonderful that you consider me to be your wife, and I intend to get married one day, but not now, I think it's a very big responsibility, and there are so many things that I still want to do, follow my career, consolidate myself more, of course I want you to be part of all this, but we get married, it's still too early. I'm sorry if that wasn't the answer you wanted to hear."

"No, Lucy, you have nothing to apologize for, I just wanted to do something if that was what you wanted, but I respect you and your decisions, and it doesn't matter, what is important is to be together" Rami replied, understanding "let's wait the right time for everything."

"Thank you, thank you for understanding, I wouldn't like to part from you" she spoke from the heart.

"Me neither, I love you" he ended up smiling, completely relieved.

"I love you too" Lucy smiled, getting up and kissing him.

Gwilym was right, a postponed decision wouldn't change Rami and Lucy's love for each other.


	21. Going to the movies

Jane couldn't help feeling anxious as she waited for Joe at the cinema door they had arranged to meet. She had given him the address and was certain that he wouldn't be confused, nor be late, but now, 10 minutes late on his part, she began to have her doubts.

She remembered the way Gwilym sometimes joked that Joe was too distracted, because of his hyperactive way. Jane, after checking out some funny videos of him on the internet, ended up believing that. However, what she had realized from Joe so far was nothing like that, he wasn't that clumsy, he was a smart and funny guy, fun in the sense of humor, not a clown all the time. Because of this, Jane believed that he would honor the commitment to meet with her. They were in London too, a big, busy city where delays were common.

To Jane's relief, Joe came out of a taxi, looking a little out of breath, certainly worried about the delay, not wanting to leave his poor friend standing there waiting for him on purpose.

"Hi Jane" he said a little breathlessly "sorry for the delay, I just kind of got lost with the directions, not wanting to offend, but this cinema is somewhat isolated and difficult to find."

"Oh I'm really sorry" the comment worried Jane "it wasn't my intention to make you lost or something, I should have taken into account that you don't know London very well, I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Okay, it's really okay" he touched her arm lightly in a sign of comfort "it wasn't purposeful, neither of us, the important thing is that we are here and we will be able to watch the movie, this is the most important."

"Yeah, yeah, I think there's still time to catch the start of the session" Jane ended up calming down and agreeing positively with Joe.

What they went to watch wasn't a release, Jane learned that the isolated cinema, one of her favorite places, would make a special sample of Oscar nominated films in the last 10 years, and that night, they would watch Lincoln, which she thought it was quite a coincidence since Joe was American, and therefore a better expert on the president than Jane herself, who was Australian and knew a little bit about her country's first ministers.

Joe made a point of paying for popcorn, although Jane wanted to deny the kindness, not only because he thought it was boring to pay, but because she didn't like watching movies eating popcorn, especially in the cinema, she thought that eating and trying to pay attention interfered with understanding of the film, but without wanting to be rude, she let Joe buy the treat. They sat in a good place, both choosing at the same time, which surprised them.

"Well, it seems that we know how to choose a good place and we go to the cinema a lot" Joe commented humorously about it.

"Good sign, no doubt," Jane agreed, giggling.

When the movie started, she barely touched the popcorn, it was her first time watching the movie and for that reason, she was attentive to all the details. Joe had seen it once and for a few moments he was distracted, looking more at Jane and her reactions than at the film itself.

He found it fascinating the way she was intent, capturing all the details, and the way her entire delicate face wrinkled in doing so. Joe noticed her extremely small nose, which made her glasses slip, precisely because she had her eyes half closed. It was an interesting portrait of the costume designer, something that ended up getting stuck in Joe's mind for an unknown reason.

After being slightly stunned by this, he turned to the screen, paying attention to the climax scene, the 13th Amendment vote. When the film ended, there was a feeling of satisfaction and sadness in both of them, it was a good film, but it also had a sad ending, which more unfortunately still, had come from real life.

"Well, that's it then" Jane a little regretted having to leave, but she got up, leaving with Joe.

"I remember the end of this movie, very sad" he commented remembering the first time he had watched.

"I think the whole film has a certain heavy atmosphere, not only because of the issue of slavery and the war itself, but how it affects the president" Jane pondered "and Daniel did a perfect job being Lincoln, he really became Lincoln."

"Yes, it's one of the most striking features of Day-Lewis" Joe replied "did you ever see another film with him?"

"Oh yes, Phantom Thread is one of my favorites" she couldn't help but get a little more excited "for obvious reasons."

"Of course, the whole question of costume" Joe smiled, proud of how she felt about her work "but what about the whole question of Alma and the way she showed her love, what do you say?"

"Hum, difficult question" she tapped her chin thoughtfully "look, Joe, I could never agree that what she did was an act of love, it was more of a selfish thing, even though inside me I felt avenged every time she made Reynolds sick, but even so, it wasn't fair, I think they should come to terms with each other, try to seek a little peace, giving a little on each side, to find the perfect balance."

"Wow, you should be a romance advisor" he commented, impressed.

"What?" her reaction came out a little squeaky "no, that, I just analyzed too much a film not so romantic, most of the time I was more analyzing the clothes than anything else."

Joe smiled when he saw her talking about it, being honest.

"Well, did you do that to Lincoln?" he wanted to know.

"Oh yes, I loved Mary's dresses, even the one she wears in the carriage, which is the simplest" Jane replied with an excited smile.

Although the night was great, the whole costume conversation reminded Joe of his friend's responsibilities for the next day.

"Well, Jane, I don't want you to be late for work tomorrow" he said "but it was great to watch with you, who knows, maybe we could do it more often."

"Yes, I ..." the suggestion took her by surprise and left her a little embarrassed "okay, I don't see why not."

"So, see you later?" he asked.

"Yes, of course" she hurried suddenly "good night, Joe and thanks for everything."

"Good night" he replied.

Before he could say anything else, Jane was already walking away alone. Something told Joe that it was better to make room for her. She had felt a little pressured at the last moment, it was as if suddenly the plug had dropped, that she was going out with Hollywood actor Joe Mazzello, and suddenly she didn't know what else to do with that information. She would need to think better about how she would handle this friendship going forward.


	22. Discussing the script

Ben took a long time reading Gia's script, letting himself be carried away by the scenes she described, by the peculiar personality of each of the characters, which he found quite amusing and finally, getting to be moved in the most dramatic parts.

Meanwhile, Gia watched attentively, nervously, anxiously, each of his reactions and expressions. Due to her slight crush, she really hoped to please Ben with her story, as much as he already liked the premise, it didn't mean that he would actually like the final product. So when he finally finished, the amateur screenwriter gave a great sigh of relief.

"Are you all right, Gia?" Ben wanted to know, due to her reaction.

"Yes, yes" she said immediately "I'm just curious to know your opinion, about what you think of my writing and everything ..."

"I loved it, I just loved it" he was sincere "as I said, it would make a great blockbuster, but not just any blockbuster, you know that many films today don't have much heart anymore and are only made to raise money, but yours ... it's a story that entertains, but it also has a lot of heart, it sends a positive message of friendship, not to mention the conflict between ships and horses ... it's a very crazy mixture that really is to fill the eyes just to imagine."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you very much" Gia returned to her normal excited mood "hearing that from you means a lot."

"You're welcome." Ben smiled at her, which made her blush slightly.

Suddenly, before they got lost among themselves exchanging shy looks, which were certainly noticed by Joe, he manifested himself, clearing his throat loudly, making himself noticed, reminding the two that he was still there.

"Well, dear ones, we agree that we have a beautiful masterpiece in hand, but now, we need to put this work into practice" Joe summarized "what is your suggestion, Ben?"

"Why do I have to be first?" Ben seemed upset by his friend's posture.

"Why, what's the problem with that, are you out of ideas?" Joe provoked in a friendly way, which caused laughter in Georgia.

Because of that, Ben felt more ashamed, so he managed to redeem himself.

"My agent knows good producers, and this new work from Netflix has opened a few more doors for me, and they are always looking for good scripts, original scripts because of the public demand" Hardy was saying, letting his primary ideas appear "and I think that we can try to talk to them now."

"Now?!" the idea scared Gia a little "oh no, I don't think it's ready, besides that you said that they are interested in original scripts, I'm not sure if my script is original, he has so many influences."

-"Calm down, Gia, I know that, but the premise itself has something special, I guarantee that it will catch the attention of the producers" Ben calmed her down, feeling an honorable obligation to do this, for being kind of responsible for doing it and get her worried.

"Okay, ok" she breathed again "I said it meant a lot your opinion about my script, and if you trust it to be really good, Ben, I'll let you talk to your Netflix producers about it, right now, if it's what you want to do."

"Thank you for trusting me, Gia" he smiled, glad that she had placed such trust in him, about something so special for her.

Ben made some calls, talked about the potential of the script, that Georgia was a brilliant new screenwriter, but even so, when the producers asked about her experience and this being her first job, they ruled out the possibility of at least reading the script, claiming they didn't have much time for an amateur.

Of course, Gia hadn't heard any of this, she just watched Ben talk to his contacts, answering what they were asking, but she had no idea of the full conversation, trying to deduce what was happening just by his expressions. So Ben warned that he would make the last call he could make, but without telling Gia anything about what was going on. So, before he called again, she interrupted him.

"Okay, Ben, be honest with me, as it was up to now" she stopped in front of him, speaking very seriously "what did all your contacts say?"

"Okay ..." he sighed, feeling sorry for her "I don't want to disappoint you, but most of the answers were negative, they said that because it's your first work and you don't have formal training, it may not be that good ..."

"They didn't even give me a chance ..." she murmured, completely frustrated.

Not caring about business tags, she collapsed on Ben's couch, starting to cry unceremoniously, which left the two men upset.

"I'm very stupid, aren't I...?" Gia laughed without humor at her regrettable state "what was I thinking? That everything was going to work out magically?"

"Yeah, that's not how it works, but at least you tried" Ben sat next to her, feeling guilty again, touching her back to comfort her "most things don't work out at first..."

"I know, it's just that I didn't prepare for frustration, pros, I just got too hopeful ..." she looked at him, her face completely swollen and red, which made Ben even more sorry.

Without hesitating, he offered her a hug and Gia ended up accepting, barely caring for her youthful fantasies, all that occupied her mind was that her plans had gone wrong and it was good to have a friendly shoulder to cry on, her mind barely processed that that was the Ben Hardy from "Bohemian Rhapsody".

"We won't give up, okay?" he reaffirmed, without undoing the hug "this was just our first attempt, let's see what Joe can achieve and don't forget that we're going to talk to Gwilym too, it can work with their contacts."

"Okay ..." Georgia murmured back, trying to have a little more faith.

She wanted to undo the hug, already feeling a little embarrassed to prolong the affection, but it seemed that Ben didn't want her to do that. She ended up staying there, until she was completely comfortable again.

Joe left, bringing her tea, Georgia thanked him with a smile, taking a sip of the drink slowly, being grateful to have good friends like Joe and Ben, who were looking after her, concerned about her well-being and her promising job.


	23. A lot to think suddenly

Upon arriving at her apartment, Jane still felt a little dizzy, slightly dazed. So she sat on her couch, trying to recover and seek a little more balance. Even so, the more she tried to focus her mind, the more confused and lost she felt.

One thing was very clear to her, she had started to like Joe, to have him as her new friend, but however, the more time they spent together, the more her feelings were going to surface. She admired him more and more, felt anxious and happy to be able to meet with him and spend time together, talking about things they both liked.

However, that night, after spending time watching the movie and then talking to Joe, Jane finally realized what was happening to herself.

Just thinking about everything again, she got scared, she was so shocked by her own thoughts that she opened her eyes wide, taking off her glasses and burying her face in her hands. This couldn't be possible, she couldn't have fallen in love with Joe Mazzello.

First of all, she found herself too far from his level to simply consider being his girlfriend, after all, who was Jane Glouster? An ordinary girl trying to make a living away from home, with so many fears and insecurities. Comparing this to Joe, who was an actor with important roles and who had returned to the spotlight thanks to "Bohemian Rhapsody", Jane was nothing, just dull and below the expectations expected for someone like Joseph.

After internalizing this, she continued to ponder, it was just silly, ridiculous that she thought she would have a chance with Joe. Of course, he was kind, he treated her well, he was a good friend, but nothing more, he would never look at Jane that way.

So, before she thought about it, she decided to rest, without torturing herself anymore. Sleep was soon her friend, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep and feel ready to go to work the next day. On the way there, she decided she would do nothing about how she felt about Joe. Surely, she would not risk opening her heart, after all, what would she gain by saying that she was in love with him? Maybe contempt, humiliation, or an apology for not feeling the same way. Jane was determined to spare her and Joe the embarrassment.

She returned to concentrating on work, that would be an important day, since she would be one of the costume helpers on another program that the BBC was about to produce. Her work on Doctor Who, nearing the end of the recordings, was ending, at least for now, and Jane was grateful that the department head had included her in the next production.

While the costume designer was attentive to the meeting, also giving a lot of opinion about the initial ideas for the new show's clothes, Joe was still worried about Gia and Jane.

As for Miss. Deacon, he was calling his contacts in the United States, with luck, three of them agreed to read Gia's script by email, so the girl was calmer. With an alleviated problem, all of Joe's energy went to another issue.

Jane's reaction upon leaving the theater had been a little hurried and desperate to see him, as if she had received bad news and had gone to see what happened immediately. But if that were the case, Joe hoped he could know what had happened, that Jane could trust him to the point where he could tell, and more importantly, he wanted to understand what was going on, so he could help her.

That's why he called Jane at a time he hoped she could answer, but unfortunately, that wasn1t the case. Jane's cell phone rang in the middle of the meeting, which made many angry faces turn to her, and she got full of shame.

"It's mine, I'm sorry" she soon became defensive, immediately turning off her cell phone.

When she saw who was calling, she felt even worse than she already was. Taking a deep breath, Jane had the courage to get up and get some more coffee, she would need the extra portion to calm down. She sat back in her seat, took a good sip of coffee, and returned all her attention to the meeting, leaving her cell phone off.

Joe insisted on calling some more, since this was strange, Jane always answered his calls, he was getting more worried about her for that. Not satisfied, he decided to wait for her when leaving work. Not knowing for sure, the lack of news made him more and more desperate, so he wouldn't be well if he did not see her that day, in front of him, in flash and bones.

Before leaving work, Jane went to the bathroom, washing her face, staring at herself for a moment, deciding that, definitely, the best thing she had to do at that moment was to go home and rest. Her plans were interrupted as soon as she saw Joe around the corner.

"Joe, hi, I ... What ... What are you doing here?" all her confidence was suddenly gone.

"Hi, Jane, I don't know, I think I freaked out" seeing that she was completely out of danger, Joe felt embarrassed.

"Freaked out? Why exactly? Don't tell me it was because of me" Jane was curious about the issue.

"Well, it was, to be honest, I thought there was something bothering you since the day we went to the cinema and I wanted to see if I could help you" he started to explain "then I called and you didn't answer ... So, Are you okay?"

"I'm okay..." she murmured, trying to inspire certainty, given the last question she wanted to hear at that moment "maybe I looked worried because I was thinking about work, you know?"

"You had problems?" Joe insisted on the same story.

"Oh no, on the contrary, I was kind of transferred from office" she was counting, glad to have something to say besides what she was hiding "I'm still with Doctor Who, but after the season is over, I'll be on another program, we were discussing more about it, when you called me."

"That's why you didn't answer me, I'm sorry" Joe soon felt guilty.

"No, it's okay" she even smiled to comfort him.

"So tell me more about the new job" he was genuinely interested.

"Okay" Jane ended up accepting.

They talked, dined together at a cafeteria nearby where Joe insisted, and Jane was just accompanied, trying to deny what was inside. He remained a good friend who cherished her company and kindness, what was too good for Jane to refuse.


	24. Thinking too much

When all of Ben's attempts to get someone from the film industry to pay attention to Gia's script and read it failed, it was Joe's turn to take action. He also had a hard time being successful in his calls, but when things started to go wrong, he thought strategically, calling people who would really care about his friend's work.

Before Gia left, she was happy that Joe had gotten at least three contacts who would read the script, all the girl would have to do now was go home and send her script to the emails Joe had gotten. So, much more comforted and motivated, she hugged them both and left almost literally sailing out of there, completely focused on her goals.

Joseph, after that, noticed how his friend and host reacted to Gia's departure. Ben had a look of pride in his eyes, a faint smile of satisfaction and joy on his youthful face.

"How are you, Benny?" Joe brought him back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, Joe, I'm just happy for Gia, the poor thing was so distressed and desperate, like it was the end of the world ..." Ben replied, describing the whole drastic situation with relief.

"I know, we've been through this, but there is a little problem in her plans, and to be honest, I don't know if I would have the courage to tell her" Joe was sincere in sharing his concerns.

"What exactly are you talking about?" the youngest had a slight idea of what it was about.

"It's almost impossible what she wants, not entirely impossible, but you know this beginning of the search for a job opportunity can be very difficult and I'm afraid she will give up halfway" Mazzello shrugged, trying to keep his optimism in a not very effective way.

"I know, but that's why we're here, you see, she's counting on us and we'll do everything we can to help her" Ben's tone was a little more aggressive than he intended.

"Okay, Benny, don't worry, I didn't say I would give up on her" Joe was startled by his friend's reaction and so he was very emphatic in his response back.

"Well, well..." Ben murmured back, realizing his own sudden revolt "I'm sorry for that harsh response, I don't know what really hit me."

"Take it easy, my friend, the last few hours have been quite stressful" the American approached him, patting his shoulder.

With that, Joseph realized that perhaps it would be better to give Ben time to be alone. As soon as the owner of the house was alone in his living room, the memory of desperate and helpless Georgia came to mind. The poor girl, so full of dreams, had turned to him and Joe, it was a great burden to have such consideration of someone he had just become friends with, but that was what had happened.

Benjamin's thoughts took him deeper into his emotions, now he remembered exactly how he felt when he hugged Gia. She was completely agitated around his arms, but even so, being able to have her so close, to be able to comfort her, made him feel good. Not quite in the sense of helping someone, but better because Georgia was there with him.

It was strange, but that was what Ben felt, he wanted to be able to get out of there and accompany her, to make sure she was okay now. That was true, there was no doubt that Georgia had left the apartment happy and excited, yet his concern wouldn't go away.

All this confused feeling that had to do with Georgia ended up making Ben so disconcerted that he ended up deciding to ignore it by watching TV. Paying attention to the fictional lives of others seemed to be much simpler than dealing with their sudden emotions.

The night passed, but what persisted in Benjamin's head didn't change. He began to wonder if it wasn't possible for Joe to be right about him having "felt a spark" between him and Gia. He was sure that what the girl had for him was a beautiful friendship, more nurtured by Joe himself than anything else, because of her and her family's closeness to him. But on second thought, Ben was afraid.

He knew well the so-called symptoms of being in love, of worrying, of not being able to get the special person out of his head at all, of being able to do his best for that same person. Experiencing all of this, imagining going through it all again hurt Benjamin too much. Because at the moment, it was impossible to forget everything he had been through with his ex-girlfriend, how she had abandoned him and left him behind, with a very broken heart.

Finding Rami, Joe and Gwilym had helped a lot, including the entire production of Bo Rhap and everyone involved in it, and now Ben was trying to move forward focused on his new work, believing that this was how he would get through, but suddenly, because of Joe's insistence on visiting the Deacons one of these days, he had met Gia, laughing, dreaming, determined, devastated to have her plans foiled...

Everything suggested that Ben was falling in love with Georgia, and he himself began to believe it, even with fear, even with doubts, even scared, feeling bound hands, and not knowing what to do. The discovery made him feel frustrated, sighing loudly with a hand to his face. His loud breathing worried him for a moment, he didn't want Joe to suspect his concerns. Remembering his friend, Ben even decided not to run and tell him, he didn't want to give him that taste of victory, looking at everything from a more comical side, but deep down, he didn't want to know his opinion on the case, much less his advice. All Benjamin wanted was time, he needed more time to understand what was happening to himself, and how he would continue to help Gia and her script because of those facts.


	25. Family news

Gradually, Gwilym's routine returned to a certain monotony, as the recordings of the season were finished. Now, they were in the process of remaking, giving the last details in each scene. So he had more free time, but not for long. Part of his family, who came from his wife's side, had set up a new dinner, as they always used to do.

To get out, Gwilym was busy tidying up Edith, trying to put on her shoes, which could be a real challenge, since the little girl swung her legs up and down, over and over.

"Please, Di, help Daddy, or we will be very late" he asked.

"No!" she said, now more upset, even pouting.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Gwil tried again, reusing her patience.

"This one falls ..." she tried to explain, pointing to the red sneakers in her father's hands.

"Falls? How does it fall?" he was still confused and lost.

"Gwilym, this is too wide" Louisa soon came to them, listening to the discussion and understanding everything at once.

"What? Those sneakers? But that's what your mother gave her as a gift, I wanted your mother to see Edith wearing it" he justified himself in his insistence on choosing those shoes.

"Gwil, my mother will be happier to see her granddaughter with shoes that fit" Louisa sighed and rolled her eyes.

Finally, her husband agreed and changed her daughter's shoes, so soon they were on their way to the Mays house. It was a peculiar occasion, because when Chrissie spoke to them on the phone making the invitation, she also said that it was Emily who had the idea of bringing the whole family together. This little detail didn't seem strange to Lou, but as always, it made her mother slightly suspicious. Once there, Rory, Jimmy and Isaac were already present. The boy ran to see Edith, having a very special affection for his cousin.

"How are you, Di?" he asked, playing with her.

"Okay," said the little girl.

"So guys, Emily and Justin haven't arrived yet?" Louisa asked her brother and sister-in-law.

"No, nothing yet, but we have no idea why she summoned everyone like that" commented Rory.

"So you have your suspicions about that too?" Lou crossed his arms "well, it's nothing, I'm sure, it's just Em being loving and caring with the family, as always."

Soon the third sister May arrived, to clear everyone's doubts. After greeting everyone and before Chrissie insisted on serving dinner before it got cold, Emily and Justin excused themselves, drawing everyone's attention.

"Well folks, I'm sure you are wondering why I invented this dinner" she started to speak.

"You can be sure of it, Em," Gwilym said, laughing a little.

"Without further ado, then," Justin sighed, looking at his wife, letting her speak.

"Guys, me and Justin are expecting a baby!" Emily said excitedly, which caused a general commotion in the family.

They hugged her immediately, which made her feel very happy and loved. Justin also received all these compliments, especially from Jimmy and Gwilym, welcoming him to his parents' club.

"I already knew it, I already knew it" repeated Chrissie "I remember when Ronnie and John told us when she was pregnant with Robert, they made the same, now look at you, my three children are already parents!"

"The children grew up, my love, but it's gratifying to see the grandchildren grow up too" Brian commented "congratulations, my dears!"

"Thanks, Brian" Justin thanked him and his wife.

All that present celebration ended up arousing Gwilym's curiosity for the past.

"For some years you have been together, it must be a very different experience than Lou and I had" he commented to the Alfords.

"Ah yes, we think a lot and even postpone the subject of children a little, but I think the time has come" Emily said.

"And how did you meet? If you don't mind answering me" Gwil showed his curiosity.

"No problem, Gwil, I followed you and Lou's story, I don't mind telling" Emily replied cheerfully "it all started when I went to law school, Justin and I entered together, in the same class."

"We became friends during this period" Justin continued "but I was very sad when she decided to give up the course, I thought we would lose contact for good."

"You atended law school? Wow ..." commented Gwilym, surprised by the fact.

"Yes, because I thought I needed to go to a serious college before going after what I really wanted, but my plans didn't work out very well, I couldn't stand it and went to study music" Mrs. Alford kept on telling "and then I started working as a producer at Queen Productions, and then I met Justin again, already as a trained lawyer."

"I was dealing with a client who was the producer of an album that was being recorded there, so when I saw Emily I couldn't believe it!" Justin said in amazement, remembering.

"We reconnected, fell in love and the rest is history, we got here at last" Emily ended the story.

"It's really a beautiful romantic story" praised the brother-in-law, touched by everything.

Dinner went on, the family was finally able to enjoy the delicious meal prepared with great affection by their matriarch, until Brian took advantage of the moment when everyone was satisfied and ended up talking to Gwilym directly.

"So, I heard you are finishing work on Doctor Who" he started the conversation.

"Yes, we are, I'm starting to miss it already" Gwil confirmed, noticing his father-in-law a little exasperated "but does that make you sad too, Brian?"

"No, not at all" May shook his head "what I wanted to do with you is if it could be possible, for me ... I don't know, do a special appearance? Even if it was a 5-second cameo?"

"Yes ... I ..." the request made Gwilym embarrassed" I don't know if I can do this, if Chris would like the idea, but I can comment with him, see what he thinks, I just can't guarantee a positive answer."

"No, no, I know, I know, just try please, Gwil, you know how important Doctor Who is to me, I just wanted to participate, you know how it is, how I must be feeling, it's the same thing that you must have felt when you found out you got the part ..." Brian continued insisting, hopeful.

"Okay, Bri, I promise I'll try, and of course I understand you" Gwilym finally gave him an understanding smile.

Deep down in his heart, he wished he could grant that wish to his father-in-law, who had always been so kind to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brian's idea to show up in Doctor Who comes from one of Rachel's idea, thank you for that.


	26. Talking to a friend

While trying to continue with his routine, Ben began to find it increasingly difficult to ignore his feelings for Gia. It had been a few days since she had spoken to him or Joe anymore, she thought she should call and ask if everything was okay, if she had finally got the sponsorship she wanted, or if she had o' gotten anything and was afraid to ask for more help from them, and nothing they had tried had worked. But even with so many worries about her, Ben did nothing about it, until he couldn't be quiet anymore.

Joe, who had his own internal inquiries at that time, living with his friend for a long time, didn't fail to notice his host's concern. Before Ben could ask him about Gia, his visitor was quicker.

"Okay, Benny, I'm not going to let you out until you tell me what's going on" Joseph put himself in front of his friend, who was preparing to go for a walk around the neighborhood, which he had made clear he wanted to do alone.

"How ... how so? There's nothing wrong with me, really!" the youngest gave him an embarrassed smile "besides, you can't lock me up in my own house."

"I'm not doing that" Joe waved his hand dismissively "I just want to talk to you."

"Okay" Ben ended up convincing himself, turning back, sitting at the kitchen table, where Joe followed him and sat in front of him.

"Just say it, Ben, without fear, after all you never hid anything from us" Joseph tried to encourage him.

"My problem has been Georgia" sighed Benjamin "I have been very sorry for her, especially after the way she was that day, but it's not just that, I think ... you got it right again."

"What? What did I get right? How?" for an instant, the American was confused.

"Joe, I like Gia, as you said when I met her, but I didn't fall in love exactly when I met her, after all, we were just going to see her grandparents, and I respect them a lot" Ben interrupted, seeing that I wouldn't get anywhere "but with time, I started to like her, really, only now I realized it. The problem is that I am afraid of the future."

"Of course, because of your broken heart" Joe realized "I went through this too, and to be honest, Ben, I'm going through the same thing as you, right now."

"Wait, now I don't understand anything" Ben left his own complaints a little to understand his friend's problem.

"Jane, man, the same Jane who works with Gwil ... " Joseph started seriously, but then took a passionate tone "she is just adorable, she is the most authentic girl I have ever met, and so intelligent, and committed, but fun, and... I don't know if she would feel the same as I do for her."

"That's the biggest problem, isn't it?" Hardy laid his head on a hand that supported his chin "we are afraid that everything will go wrong again, we blame ourselves, for our exes left us."

"It wasn't our fault, it was their choice" Joe shrugged, trying to look relaxed, but not succeeding "but even so, I think I could have been a better boyfriend, in some aspects, I don't think it's fair for me to think myself good or bad, I can be very impartial ..."

"I know what you mean" Benjamin nodded "but if you want my opinion, at least you are an excellent friend, and I think that in the end, the only thing left for us is to talk to them."

"No, Ben, I mean, I agree with you, that's what we have left" Joe felt sorry for that statement "but I don't know if I'm ready, I don't want to scare Jane, you know? She has an excellent career, it's the thing that she fought the most and the most important thing for her at the moment, I don't want to be a distraction and besides, as I said, she may not like me the same way."

"I say the same about Gia, I just want her to get what she's trying so hard to achieve" Ben sighed "she deserves to have a good job, and to be a valued script, not to worry about me."

"Okay, it seems that we have agreed here then" Joe summed up everything "we better stay quiet for now, I mean, until Gia is calmer, I don't know, perhaps?"

"Yes, that's it, the same goes to Jane" the youngest agreed with the plan.

They both knew it wasn't exactly an idea that would make them comfortable, but they would put it into practice anyway, and do their best to deal with their feelings in the best possible way.

It turned out that Ben actually left the house and went for a walk in the neighborhood, leaving Joe alone, his heart teeming with emotions. It wasn't in his plans to confess the feelings he had recently discovered in himself, and that ended up leaving him too moved at the moment.

Being very agitated, he tried to distract himself in every possible way, starting with the more traditional ones, appealing to social networks and television. None of this had helped much, until in that fateful moment, he remembered his old travel companion and adventures on the internet abroad.

He opened one of his practically empty suitcases, and saw that the cardboard cutout was restless. There would be no better time to record videos with Ben on the cardboard when Ben was really away from home. After thinking about it, Joe had an idea. His mini script for the video was Cardboard Ben inviting him in, but judging him a lot before thinking about hosting him. He worked on the camera angles and the jokes for a while, until he was satisfied with the material he had obtained and started editing it, as best he could, it turned out that the video was like that, Ben's indecipherable face in the beginning, with Joe chattering soon after.

"Hello, man, thanks for letting me stay, I know, I hurt you a lot, but maybe it's the perfect time for us to get it right ..." and again, the video cut to fake Ben "no, I promised that I was going to be a good guest, seriously, I’ll help you, whatever you ask I’ll do, maybe not everything ... Wait, Ben, no, don’t, Benjamin!"

And in the end, the fake Ben turned his back on his friend. When posting, Joseph laughed at all that comedy, discovering that his silly joke was a perfect way to distract his head from his heart problems.


	27. Cardboard shenanigans

When Ben woke up the next day, he was willing to move on and keep his feelings for Gia for a while, waiting for the best time to decide what to do with them. The young actor was negotiating a new job, so he apologized to Joe for not having much time to pay attention to his visitor that day.

"Don't worry, Benny, I understand you and I can handle myself very well" the guest replied, relaxed, understanding the situation with an open heart.

"Okay, then, see you later" Ben said goodbye, leaving for his appointment.

It didn't take long for Joe to leave the house, too. Most days he was in London he didn’t do much, of course he visited the Deacons, talked to Luke and Cameron mainly, visited the Lees, knowing exclusively the BBC studios and the backstage of Doctor Who’s unreleased season, and of course, he had gone out with Jane several times.

Jane ... It was precisely her that he was trying not to remember, all he wanted was to know how to deal with this situation in the best possible way, not to be so afraid of taking any action.

Thinking back to what he had done while in England, Joe realized that most days he had stayed at Ben's apartment more than he had left. This made him think that he was already exceeding the limits of his friend's goodwill and since he wasn't doing anything relatively important at all, he began to consider whether it was time to go home. He was really missing his mother and siblings, maybe it was even better to go back to New York.

Before making any decision, Joseph decided to focus on the present, focusing on the visit he would be making to the Lees at the time. He hadn't warned or anything, but before he left the house, he also thought about Gwilym and Louisa and their little Edith, already missing them for the past few days.

Gwilym answered the door, surprised to see Joe there, welcoming him with a quick hug.

"Hi, I'm glad you came here " Gwil smiled at him.

"Yeah, I think it was my best idea of the day ..." Joe said, a little distracted "and Louisa and Edith? Where are they?"

"Uncle Joe?" Edith had appeared, still talking half-heartedly, but her vocabulary was growing by the day.

"Hi, little girl!" Joe opened a huge smile when he saw her "look at you, you're talking and everything, calling me Uncle Joe!"

"You Uncle Joe!" the little girl reaffirmed, going to hug him, which touched her American uncle.

"Yes, my friend, now I can say that you have a way with children" Gwilym laughed "but I was worried about you."

"Worried about me? Why? I'm fine" Joe tried to dodge in a playful tone, while putting Edith on his lap.

"What did you say about coming here to be your only good idea of the day" Lee pointed out "do you mean you only had bad ideas? And what bad ideas were those?"

"Sometimes you pay too much attention to things," complained Joe.

"Well, what can I do? I'm a father, it takes a lot of my attention" Gwilym shrugged "but if you don't want to talk about what's bothering you, fine, I'm not going to force you into anything."

"To tell you the truth, Gwil, I would trust this matter to you, because you are also one of my best friends, but the problem is that ..." Joe sighed "it hurts a little to talk about it."

"Sorry, my mistake, I didn't want to make you feel like this" Gwilym put a hand on his shoulders "I'm really sorry, Joe, as I said, I'm not going to force you into anything."

"Okay" he gave a sad smile back to his friend.

Doing everything to ward off that heavy climate, Joe searched his mind for a solution, and ended up having one of his crazy ideas.

"Gwilym, you don't intend to leave, do you?" he asked.

"No, I'm waiting for Lou, she had a teachers meeting today" explained the owner of the house "why?"

"I'll get something from Ben's apartment and I'll be back, I promise I won't be long" Joseph stood up, already leaving, without saying goodbye or further explanations.

Gwilym and Edith were curious about what he was up to, but as promised, he was soon back at their house.

"Voilà!" Joe exclaimed, exposing the cardboard Ben right in front of the Lees.

"Oh no, I can't believe it!" Gwilym tapped the sides of his legs, somewhat indignant "is that what you came for? I can't believe you brought this to England!"

"Hey, don't talk about Ben like that!" Joe scolded him "did you really think I was going to miss the opportunity? I had an idea, but I need your help and Edith."

"No, no ..." Gwilym laughed, incredulous, rubbing a hand over his face "I thought that phase had passed ..."

"Come on, Gwil! You had a lot of fun in Japan, you liked my videos ..." insisted Joe.

"It may be, but it doesn't involve my daughter in this" he crossed his arms.

"Yes! That's an excellent speech for the video!" Joe got excited.

"You won't give up, will you?" Gwilym closed his eyes impatiently.

"You know I won't," Joe said suggestively.

"Right, what do you have in mind?" he relented for good.

After explaining the idea of the video, Gwilym, Edith and Joe went down the elevator, going to the garage and taking Gwil's car. Edith at this point was more used to cars, and it wasn't that strange for her. The only strange thing was that her uncle had put her in the driver's seat and sat in the back, placing Ben in the passenger seat.

With each one at their post, Gwilym served as the cameraman, filming the scene, having fun with Edith, who wasn't understanding anything. After several attempts, they came up with ideas for other videos, and this time Gwilym also participated.

It turned out that in the end, Joe and Edith started playing on the sidewalk, one after the other, all being recorded by the cameras on Gwilym and Joe's cell phones. Lee didn't let his friend leave without even a cup of tea. All that joke served to put Joe out of trouble to have fun with his smart hearted niece and his kind friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All these videos and photos are in the Moments on Instagram story, check it out!


	28. The dinner with the Lees

During Joe's sudden visit to Gwilym, he mentioned to his friend about Georgia and her search for a job as a screenwriter and that they approved her ready-made work.

"This is very cool, for the little I know Georgia, I think it's a profession that suits her a lot, I wish she has good luck in getting something, a good opportunity, preferably" Gwilym wished, getting curious to know more about her script.

"Oh it was good that I remembered that, I promised her that I would ask for your help too" Joseph pointed out.

"My help? With what exactly?" Gwil was more interested in the issue.

"Yes, Ben and I tried everything so that known producers of ours read her script, but Ben wasn't very lucky" he counted with regret "in my case, she is still waiting for a response from the producers I indicated, but I don't know if it goes right."

"I see, so you want me to try my contacts?" Gwilym understood everything "I can talk to my agent, but do you know what would be good too? If I read the script, I will know exactly what I am talking about and support it better, what do you think?"

"Great idea, I'll talk to Gia" Joe smiled at the plan "I knew I could count on you."

"Of course, Joe, I'm here for this" Gwilym smiled back.

So Gwilym ended up discussing the matter with Louisa, which ended up giving her an idea.

"If Georgia doesn't mind, and I'm pretty sure she won't call, we could arrange a dinner here to read the script together, and say our opinion, and you can talk to her more about it, and how you can help her" she suggested to her husband "and we can call the boys too, I'm missing them, as much as Joe came here, I barely see him, or Ben."

"Um, great idea, do you know who would also be good to invite? Jane" Gwilym remembered her "now that we are finishing the season, won't have so much contact and I wanted to keep the friendship with her."

"Yes, Jane is a great person, I also like her" Louisa approved the idea "so that's it, I think we have the guest list ready, but look, it's not formal, it's just a meeting of friends."

"Of course, we are just organizing everything" Gwil understood.

Jane received the invitation with joy, as she considered Gwilym a good friend and co-worker. She was the first to arrive at the Lees apartment, and Edith came to receive her.

"Hi, Jane, come on in," she said in her little baby voice, which the guest thought was the cutest thing in the world.

"Thank you, Edith" she leaned over and smiled at the little girl, who pulled her by the hand, already meeting Gwilym soon after.

"Good night, Jane, I'm so glad you could come." He shook her hand.

"I thank you for your consideration" she smiled, grateful.

Louisa came right after talking to her, saying that a few more friends would come. Jane didn't care about that at first, it was natural for them to invite more people to the occasion, the problem was who those guests would be. Joe and Ben arrived together shortly thereafter.

Joseph noticed Jane's presence immediately, tried to look away from her, while she did the same, the two of them delaying the time to speak. Even Ben, who had noticed his friend's tension and knew exactly why he was like this, was avoiding talking to Jane for his sake.

"Uncle Joe, Ben, aren't you going to sit down?" Edith surprised them both standing, avoiding the other guest.

"Of course, Di, we will, just not now" Joseph tried to lose his niece out of consideration, while Benjamin remained silent.

When Mr. and Mrs. Lee came to check on their guests, realized that there was something repelling the three adults.

"Is everything okay, guys? I promise I'll serve dinner now, I'm just waiting for Georgia" Louisa warned them, in an attempt to get them to react in some way.

"Of course, don't worry, Lou, we're fine" Ben said to reassure her.

"It doesn't seem that you are well" Gwilym wasn't afraid to point this out, being in his own home, but didn't provoke anyone else besides that.

"Hello, Jane" Ben was the first to break the silence and finally talk to the girl "sorry for our bad way, is everything okay with you?"

"All right, thanks for asking" she managed to smile "hi, Joe, it's good to see you."

"Me too" he replied almost automatically "I mean, it's good to see you here, Gwilym told you why we're here?"

Pulling up a different topic was the only strategy Joseph found at the time to deal with that uncomfortable situation.

"Well, basically we are going to have dinner" she replied, a little uncertainly "and Gwilym mentioned about your friend, Georgia, right? She's trying to be a screenwriter."

"That's right," he nodded, and it was Ben's turn to feel cornered, overhearing the conversation.

"Who knows I can make some costume designs for her? If she accepts, ”Jane suggested, and the idea sounded good in Joe's ears, making him smile.

"You would make a great partnership together, you are very creative" Joe couldn't help praising her.

For their salvation, or in a certain case, the gravity of the awkward environment, Georgia arrived just then.

"Gwilym, Louisa, guys" she looked away from the Lees to the rest of the guests, still in a hurry to have just arrived "sorry for the delay."

"No problem, Gia, the important thing is that you arrived" Louisa smiled, understanding "so, let's have dinner, guys."

The reaction was unanimous, each got up and shared the meal with the Lees. To the relief of Ben, Georgia, Jane and Joe, the topic that took over the conversation was good stories and memories that the boys had lived with each other until then. They commented on the pranks with Ben behind the scenes, Joe's adventures, his most recent videos that involved cardboard Ben and Edith, until the subject came up in Georgia's script again.

The young woman told Lee about the whole process that was going on, from starting to write, to frustrated responses.

"The last contacts I had was with some of Joe's acquaintances" Georgia concluded the matter "but the three gave me a similar answer, saying that the idea was good, but it's poorly executed because of my lack of experience."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I have to congratulate you" Jane said, which surprised Miss. Deacon "I know how hard it's to fight for a dream until it works, but you are very determined, so if you continue like this, you will achieve what you want."

"Thank you, Jane, but I don't know if I'm still that optimistic," lamented Georgia.

"So that's exactly why we call you her" Gwilym took the floor "for everything you told about your story, I think Chris would love to produce a series or film from your script, whatever he thinks best."

"Are you really going to talk to Chris Chibnall? And will he have time to pay attention to my script?" Georgia was afraid to believe completely.

"He's a loving person, and very creative" guaranteed Jane, who also knew the producer "will definitely give you a chance."

"What do you think, Georgia?" Gwilym wanted her confirmation.

"I think it's great, yes, show him my script" she nodded, but careful not to create such high expectations.

Finally, Joe and Ben were calmer when they saw Gia better, feeling responsible for getting a concrete answer to the help they promised. In addition, Jane was happy to help, while she didn't even know that Joe was extremely proud of her for taking this initiative.

Because he was so moved, adding to all the feelings he was feeling for her, Joseph dared to smile at Jane, which she couldn't resist, and smiled back, even though she felt foolish.


	29. Before it's too late

The night had started to get weird for Jane as soon as Joe and Ben arrived. She should be calm, she already knew them, Joseph had still become a good friend, but still, her silly heart started to beat faster when she saw him.

"How stupid, Jane, how stupid ..." repeated the costume designer in her thoughts "ignore that, ignore him, don't let him notice anything ..."

Wanting to disguise and show that everything was fine, Jane ended up greeting him first, and soon after he answered her. But there was something wrong with Joe, he was just as embarrassed as she was. Perhaps he had realized what she was thinking, and had been uncomfortable with the situation as well.

To their relief, Georgia and her script were the protagonists of the night. Jane was amazed at the girl's plans and pledged to help her as she could. As soon as production on the filming of Gia's script began, she would design the costumes.

While the whole group was talking, Jane noticed Joe watching her, admiring her, a proud smile was on his lips, reserved only for her. Jane didn't know what to do with that gesture of affection, returned with a smile too. She didn't know what to do, but he did, deciding to do something at once.

Finding Jane at the home of his dear friends and not being able to be closer to her, not feeling completely at ease because he was hiding his feelings, was killing him inside. Of course, there was the possibility of taking a nice break and leaving Jane amazed, but Joe wouldn't be able to hide what he felt for a long time, it was like he was about to explode. At one point, he asked for water and Louisa answered it immediately, watching him with concern.

"Are you all right, Joe? Did you have a bad reaction to my food?" she asked, looking for a way to help him.

"No, no way, dinner was wonderful" he clarified, still feeling tense "the problem is with me, Lou, I just know that I need to do something to solve this soon."

"I don't know what it is, but if it's doing you harm, do whatever is necessary to make everything okay" Louisa said sweetly, touching his shoulder.

"That's what I have to do, Lou," he nodded, accepting his fate.

Still, Joe left the apartment, taking a deep breath in the hall, trying to get a little more air and space. Before he opened the door back, willing to speak to Jane at once, she herself appeared from behind the open door.

She had been watching his movement, seeing him agitated and confused. As much as her rationality wanted to hold her in place, her emotions made her get up and go to him, seeing his condition. They watched each other for a while, neither of them had the courage to do anything.

"Jane, I ..." Joe started to react.

"Is everything fine with you?" she asked directly.

"No, I'm not well" he didn't lie, his feet moved, wanting to be closer to her, but he stopped himself.

"Whatever it is, I consider you a friend and if you need someone to listen to you, I'm here" she offered her help, getting more and more distressed.

"That's the problem, Jane" he gave her an uncomfortable laugh "I can't tell you because you're my problem."

"What? I...? But what did I do to you? I don't ... It was never my intention to hurt you, if I hurt you in any way, forgive me ..." Jane was completely scared and stunned.

"No, no, calm down, Jane, I expressed it badly, you are no problem, you are the best thing that has happened to me since I came to London" he looked directly into her eyes, desperate to correct his mistake.

"I ... I'm ..." Jane hadn't understood correctly.

"I am all night and the days before today fighting with myself because of what I feel for you" he said more calmly "Jane, I like you very much, I ... I am completely in love with you. I didn't want to say because I was afraid of what I would think ..."

"Joe ..." she ended up taking a long sigh, giving her heart a break at that very dramatic moment "me too ..."

"Are you in love with me too?" Joseph's lips trembled as he said this.

Jane just nodded, ashamed to keep talking. She took a breath, thinking of something effective to say.

"It's true" she confirmed "since when we went to the cinema together, I have been thinking about you in a different way, and I'm sure that's what I'm feeling."

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Joe was so happy relieved that he ended up wasting no time "I know we are from different places, that I am here temporarily, but Jane, for me it's the right thing to do."

"Okay, don't worry" she dared to touch his face, slowly reaching his chin "we will fix it later."

"Got it" he smiled.

Their happiness at that moment drew them to each other, sealing their commitment with a kiss. They didn't stay long at the Lees' door, they didn't want to scandalize any conservative neighbor.

Returning to their hosts' room, they told nothing to anyone, just agreed to keep the secret from each other for now. After another conversation, Gwilym and Louisa's visits took their leave. Interestingly, Jane left shortly after Ben and Joe. Glouster found them still in the elevator, the three of them descended in silence, until Joe manifested himself, attracting Ben's attention and curiosity.

"Do you ket me tell him, Jane?" Joseph asked his girlfriend.

"Just for Ben, please, I wanted this to be among the closest to us for now, please" she imposed the conditions delicately.

"Tell what? Joe, what did you do? I didn't think you would ruin everything" Ben was alarmed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I made a good decision" he put an arm around Jane, who accepted the approach "we're dating!"

"Oh really?! I'm happy for you, that's wonderful, Joe" Ben smiled at his friend's joy "and Jane, I wish you luck."

The costume designer just laughed while her boyfriend tried to pat Ben. He realized he was being a third wheel and left the couple at ease, Joe accompanied Jane to his apartment. The journey marked the beginning of a new journey for both of them.


	30. Sharing

After saying goodbye to Joe, entering her apartment, and finally going to sleep, Jane could hardly believe what had just happened.

When Joe confessed his feelings to her, she also couldn't help but accept, admit to herself and him that she liked him and accept that courtship. But now, as much as she was happy, as she tried to sleep, thoughts prowled her mind. What would her life be like from then on? Yeah, Hollywood actor Joe Mazzello had become her boyfriend, for real. Jane had her doubts about how she would handle this, for now, all she needed was rest, so she gave in to sleep.

The next morning, Joe was so excited that he called his mother directly, she was the first person in the family he wanted to know about him and Jane.

"Mom, good afternoon, isn't it? How are you?" he wanted to know.

"Hi, Joe, good to talk to you son, you haven't called in a while" Virginia replied "I was thinking about what could be occupying you so much that you forgot about your mother."

"Oh, nonsense, I would never forget you, none of you" although he remembered his father, Joseph thought it best not to mention him "but in one thing you are right, I have been busy with some things."

"Tell me, dear" mMs. Mazzello asked.

"Well, I've been serving as my friend Georgia's agent, along with Ben, he helped her too, she wants to be a screenwriter" Joe said -"I visited Gwilym's most recent work, we saw the Doctor Who set and it was really cool, and well, that's where i met Jane."

"Jane ... Um, this sounds like romance, am I right?" Joe's mother played with him.

"It is, mom, yes, she and I are dating" he even blushed when he said those words together "that's why I called, to tell you, tell Mary and John too."

"I will, your siblings will like to know" Virgina agreed "and what is she like, Jane?"

"Wonderful, charming ..." Joseph couldn't help but sigh when he said.

"Yes, I know that, but other characteristics would be good too" his mother really wanted to know more.

"Okay, she is creative, intelligent, shy, a little anxious too, but I respect that" he said more about Jane.

"You have a lot in common, then" laughed his mother, happy with the joy of her son "I hope to meet her soon, even if it is from distance."

"Oh about that, mom, I'll see when Jane is ready, okay? Remember that she is shy" Joe recommended, thinking about his girlfriend's well being.

"Okay, my dear, I understand you" Virginia was understanding "well, say hi to Jane for me."

"I say yes, thanks for everything mom" she said goodbye, ending the call.

Back to Jane's routine, following her out of habit and necessity, as she started yet another day at work, helped her deal with the news. At the BBC studios, they greeted her as usual and she answered them, went inside her office. He spent the whole day drawing, talking to producers and writers, perfecting what he had created to better suit his ideas.

When her shift finally ended, she went home, thinking it would be fair to let her family know about her boyfriend. The very thought terrified her again. Her parents would ask who Joe was and what he did for a living, she couldn't lie about it and figured her parents would get too excited or worse, disapprove of her for dating an actor.

It was an uncomfortable thing that was starting to get stuck in her throat, suffocating her. Jane would have to talk to Joe about it, trust him, that he would understand the whole situation.

The initiative to call her boyfriend came from her, and Joe, for the first time, would go to Jane's apartment. He took a long time, as expected. Jane had a smile on her lips when she remembered that he too was late when they went to the movies.

"I swear I'm on my way, I just think I got lost again" a message from Joe to Jane appeared on her cell phone.

In all goodness, she asked back where he was. He took a picture of one of the sidewalk walls he was on, thankfully she recognized the place.

"Don't leave, I'm coming to get you" she sent and Joe did as he was asked.

Jane ran over to see him, laughing at how a grown man could find it so easy to get lost in a city he already knew relatively well. In this case, Jane made an exception, that was an area of London he had never been to before.

"I would be lost without you" he tried a joke when he saw her.

"I see, but I'm glad I'm here" she gave him a simple smile "come on, let's go inside."

Joe kissed her cheek, they crossed the street hand in hand, taking all the way to the apartment. There Jane greeted him appropriately, with a sweet kiss, which made Joe happy.

"I thought it was wonderful that you invited me to come here, now that we are together, it would be kind of strange that I had to ask to be alone at Ben's apartment and ..." Joe broke off, thinking that all that sounded a little inappropriate "sorry, I mean it's good to see you, Jay."

"Me too, but what I want to say is kind of serious " she sat right in front of him, looking at him with a worried look.

"Okay, whatever it is, I'm all ears," Joe replied.

"So, Joe, just before we started dating I was thinking that ... Look, maybe it will be kind of hard for me to digest that I date an actor, well, at least in the beginning" she explained   
"it's not that I am jealous, or something like that, it was that I was your fan before I met you in person and your life is well aimed, however, I really want to be with you, I just need you to understand my point of view."

"Ah that was it, Jane? No, rest assured, my dear, this is natural" he gave her a wide understanding smile "I believe they are different spheres of my life and they will not collide in a way that makes you uncomfortable, I promise I won't let that happen."

"That's a relief, Joe, thank you very much" she hugged him without hesitation, like the time he handed over her signed poster.

"You're welcome, that's what boyfriends are for" he touched her face, giving her a wink, exchanging a passionate look.

Jane waited for a kiss on the lips, but instead Joe kissed her nose, which left her surprised and embarrassed.

"Hey, leave my nose alone... I know it's tiny, you don't need to remember me that" Jane complained a little.

"Oh no, this is not a defect, it looks like a rosebud to me " Joe said "you should complain about my nose."

"There's nothing wrong with your nose" she gave him some reason "let's just forget about our noses? This conversation got suddenly strange."

"Yes, I'm going to do what I had planned to do after kissing your nose" he warned, kissing her nose first and finally her lips.

Jane didn't care about the games, none of that mattered when she was so happy there with Joseph. Eventually, she had the courage to talk to her parents about their relationship, and the Glouster family was unanimous in accepting it. What mattered to them was knowing that Joe loved Jane and that she was so happy, as she had never felt before.


	31. Bringing a plan to reality

Gwilym was happy that day, also very anxious, but no more anxious than the girl sitting next to him in the car seat. He was giving Georgia a ride to the office of Chris Chibnall, who had agreed to speak in person to the author of "The Treasure of Tez" after reading the script.

Gia tried not to create high expectations in this regard, she had been too frustrated recently to be completely positive, she just hoped everything would go well, getting a no or a yes from Chibnall. She preferred Gwilym to go in front of her, showing her the way and making introductions.

"Hello, Miss. Deacon, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" the showrunner shook her hand gently.

"I say the same about you, Mr. Chibnall" she replied "I hope I'm not bothering you or taking your time."

"No, not at all" Chris denied any idea like that "Gwilym insisted enough on me that I give you a chance, and knowing him well, I shouldn't refuse a recommendation from him."

"Yeah, Gwilym is really sweet" Gia even smiled at him, who smiled back, blushing "but what about my script? Did you read? And what did you think?"

"Okay, let's go in parts" Chris settled himself in the seat before starting a long speech "I thought the idea was great, of course there is a lot of conventionality, which we have seen before, but this is not bad, I think the secret to a good script is to know how to balance" the new and the familiar, even because the audience is clamoring for it, something that more effectively ties them to the plot, sorry, I am rambling and losing focus.

"No, no, that was great advice" Gia countered.

"Okay, so the story is very good, but there are some flaws in the execution" Chris continued "don't be offended by what I'm going to say, but it's all for your good and your growth."

"All right, Mr. Chibnall, I'm here to learn" she was ready for anything.

"There are a lot of scenes that don't advance the story, in fact they leave it kind of stuck, while there are other parts where the action happens out of nowhere, without previous explanation, of course it can happen, without any problem, but the way you do did it gives that impression of chance that is unconvincing" Chibnall explained further.

"Okay, so what can I do to fix this?" the girl asked.

"If you allow me, Miss. Deacon, I would like to discuss these parts in particular with you, review the script and then hand over the revised script to the BBC's content creation board" he proposed "the broadcaster is always doing three-part specials at the end of the year, I think "The Treasure of Tez" would be perfect for that."

"That's serious, Mr. Chibnall? Can this really happen?" Georgia could hardly believe it.

"Yes, of course it is, you can believe it" he said with joy "I understand your apprehension but I believe that our work as a team will yield the goal we hope for."

"Okay, I accept and thank you very much for your help, Mr. Chibnall" Georgia expressed all her gratitude "if possible, we can start right now."

"So I like to hear it" Chris smiled at her enthusiasm "so let's go."

He stood up to take the script in hand, showing Gia exactly what he had mentioned, explaining the mistake and she suggesting a solution, creating something new on top to replace it.

In the end, Georgia left there much more hopeful that things would work out this time. A week passed, with no more news from Gwilym or Chibnall himself, but still, Georgia was more likely to hope than anxiety.

The showrunner himself contacted her, saying that the board wanted to see her in person. With Chibnall's changes and the essence of Gia's story, the script was approved, already starting a pre-production process.

Georgia got out of there overflowing with happiness because her effort had finally paid off. She told the news to her parents first, who were super proud, with that convinced certainty that their daughter would get where she wanted.

Soon after, she thought about looking for Joe and Ben. Her old friend was at Jane's house at the time, so Georgia decided to go to Ben's apartment, talk to him in person. Despite her conflicting emotions towards him, she felt it important to return her gratitude for everything he had done to help her.

When answering the door, Ben was slightly surprised, but noticed something else in Georgia, she was super excited.

"Are you all right?" he asked out of courtesy.

"All right, I have great news" she announced "remember that Gwilym said he would talk to Chris Chibnall about my script?"

"Yes, I remember, and what was it? Did you just talk to him?" Ben was getting intrigued.

"Yeah, I got a call from him actually, we spoke in person last week" Gia took a long breath, smiling "anyway, what I'm trying to say is that my script is going to be a year-end special on the BBC!"

"Oh my God, Georgia! Congratulations, this is amazing!" he was very happy for her "now what? What stage are they in? When exactly will it debut?"

"Well, I still don't know, but I'm starting to get to know the subject to understand everything better" she said "I really wanted to thank you and Joe for everything they did."

"Oh don't worry, it was a pleasure to try to help you, you are our friend ..." he looked away slightly shy "but you owe more to Gwilym, he who got everything."

"But you all supported me from the beginning, I will never forget what you did for me" she was moved to say that, it was exactly what she felt.

So that they wouldn't be in awkward silence, Ben started talking about pre-production, how it all worked from an actor's point of view. Gia responded and participated in the conversation as she could, following her own knowledge of the subject.

Production progressed, so the creative process was almost complete. Jane, coincidentally, ended up creating the costume for "The Treasure of Tez" as part of her work. As for who would use them, the cast ended up encompassing none other than Joe Mazzello and Ben Hardy.

Joe fit perfectly on the skin of grumpy Colonel Ernest Mounty. Ben, on the other hand, had the class and curiosity of Prof. Alfred Towndingdare. So, little by little, Georgia's dream took on real form


	32. Team work

It was a very happy day for Jane, she was about to embark on a new workday, this was how she saw every new opportunity to create and dedicate herself to a new project. This time, she would need a little outside help, luckily, it didn't take long for her to remember Louisa Lee.

The two met at the teacher's house when she was off. So Jane questioned her about everything she could about 19th century fashion in the American West.

"I got a lot of ideas from western movies, but I don't know if they are 100℅ historically accurate" Jane warned her friend.

"Ah it's a good start" Louisa commented "there are many films that follow the costumes to the letter, but others not so much."

She then looked at Jane's first sketches, helping her to correct what was needed in the historical question, but leaving all the creative part with her. Before the costume designer left, Louisa still needed to say something more.

"I wanted to say that I am very happy for you and Joe, he told us about you, and this is really great, for both of you" she said.

"Ah thanks Lou, it was all so ... Well, agitated, but now I can agree 100% with you" smiled Jane, shyly.

"You know, Joe may not admit it, but he spent the last few years alone, with difficulties to open his heart and find the right person, but with you, he is even happier" said Louisa "and I am very happy that he has been in love with you, I can't imagine anyone better for him."

"Oh my God ... I have no words for that, thanks, Louisa" Jane felt embarrassed, but after receiving a hug from Mrs. Lee, relaxed a little more.

They said goodbye and Jane went back to work in her office, choosing fabrics, cutting and sewing, creating the costume for "The Treasure of Tez". Meanwhile, Joe and Ben attended the reading table, with Gia alongside Chris Chibnall, being introduced to everyone as the creator of the idea and the lead writer for the special.

Gia was very nervous at the beginning of the meeting, but then she let go, answering questions from the actors, who wanted to follow her original vision for each of the characters.

Everything seemed to work well between Gia and Ben in this work environment, but as soon as it was over, they said goodbye quickly, each going to his side. Joe saw this up close, which worried him, but he thought it best not to interfere, it was his friends who were involved in the whole case, and they were the ones who would decide what to do about themselves.

Jane was also finishing the day's work, when Joe knocked on her door, which made her smile and run to meet him, hugging and kissing him.

"Hi, how was it there?" she asked cordially.

"Ah all right, but I have to say that this was the best greeting of all" he smiled, playing with her.

Jane just rolled her eyes and Joe took this as an excuse to kiss her nose, it was becoming a habit on his part. She just ignored him again, but she still liked those kisses.

"You didn't answer my question," she repeated.

"Oh ok, it was great, really wonderful" Joe got a little more serious when he replied "I'm working on Mounty's crankyness balancing with his sweet side."

"This is great, we are moving forward" Jane got excited "here is a special spoiler for tomorrow, you will try on the costumes and I have done a lot on your uniform."

"Ah I wanted to see now, let me see? - he asked with the curiosity of a child."

"I can't, Joe, I already gave you enough spoilers, you better wait until tomorrow" she recommended.

"Okay, I think I can take it until then" he sighed "nothing that a little milk won't solve."

"Don't you dare, sir!" Jane scolded him.

They ended up laughing at the end, while going out together, going to their favorite cafe.

"Now, seriously - Jane resumed a conversation, after a sip of coffee "there's something that was bothering you while reading, isn't there? Is it a concern that you are working when you were actually on vacation?"

"Well, Jay, I didn't come here on vacation" Joe saved the jokes for a moment "I came here at first following my mother's advice, that it would be good to have some space after my father passed away."

"Oh God, of course, I know, it's been over a year since your father passed away, I'm sorry for having touched on this subject, it was unintentional" Jane was filled with concern "I was just worried, because you weren't well and I wanted to offer my help ..."

"It's okay, I know exactly your intentions, and I'm very grateful for that" he touched her hand on the table, holding it and kissing it right away "you and the boys have helped me a lot, and honestly, I think that the mourning phase has passed, now we only miss him. But you are right, there is something else worrying me."

"What is it?" she was calmer now.

"It's that Ben has been fighting himself because ..." Joe interrupted on purpose "oh God, I don't even know if I should be telling you this, if Ben would allow me, but you are my girlfriend, and I trust you..."

"I promise to be discreet," she swore, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Okay, Ben fell in love with Georgia, but is afraid to get closer, especially after everything she went through with work and him with relationships" Joe explained a little better.

"I understand" she said in a sigh "a little while ago I felt exactly like that, but in the end, in time, everything worked out, if it doesn't work out for both of them, I hope they will be able to move on and overcome setbacks."

"Yeah, that's what I hope too, Benny is a strong guy, but very sensitive too" he pointed out.

"Anyway, I'm sure they know they can count on us, let's support them," recommended Jane.

"Yes, for sure" Joe agreed, feeling grateful for the advice.

He hoped Ben would be just as lucky as he was to settle with the girl he liked.


	33. Recordings

Jane looked proudly at her boyfriend, it was a mixture of pride for different reasons actually. First, Jane was proud of Joe, for getting a new role, which by the way, he was loving to play. Second, she was proud of her new creation, a United States Civil War military uniform, which was the costume that Joe was wearing and lastly, she was admiring how well Joe had looked in that uniform.

"You're great, really!" she said with all joy "the uniform fit you very well!"

"Oh stop, you're saying that to flatter me " Joe teased her.

"No, no, no, not at all" Jane denied vehemently, shaking her head "I am the head costume designer and if there was something wrong with my own work, I would be disheveling now."  
"No, that's not necessary then - he agreed with her, thinking of something else right away "isn't it curious, Jane? We watched Lincoln together and now I'm playing a former Civil War soldier."

"Yeah, I hadn't remembered that, I mean, I remember we went to see the movie, but I hadn't made that association, it's really curious" said Jane.

She finished the last adjustments to the costume, and so he was released to start filming. They were in an area a little far from London, in an open field, on an outdoor set, which had some houses, imitating the typical western buildings, everything there had been done to bring Gia's story to life.

While the actors were getting ready together with the rest of the crew, Georgia was delighted with the place, enjoying how the set had met her imagination's expectations. She would accompany the filming for a few days, but then she would leave the job in the hands of the director and editor, as was the custom of most screenwriters. For now, she was walking around the place, looking and watching everything with great excitement, until she returned to her place beside the director.

Finally, filming started and Gia followed everything with attention, emotion and gratitude. It was an inexplicable sensation that she felt when she saw her story being interpreted and recorded. During the break, she looked for Joe and Jane, talking a lot with them, exchanging ideas about how everything was being organized and executed, she waited for Ben to join them, but he didn't show up.

She even thought about asking Joe about it, but the break time was over before she could do anything. Georgia just went back to watching everything, and unintentionally, paying too much attention to Ben and how he played Prof. Towndingdare. For a moment, she scolded herself for it, but unintentionally, she ended up noticing the sadness and concern carefully hidden behind Hardy's gaze at every interval between recording a scene and a break. Something was certainly bothering him, and Gia had no idea what it was.

With a little more work, the first day of recording ended and during the week, that routine followed for the cast and crew, including several nights and others filming in closed chromakey rooms. Georgia wasn't present in all the proceedings, as she had already decided to do, but made sure to be on the last day of recording.

The director ended his work, giving a short speech that was already customary, thanking everyone and all the effort and team work to carry out that production. In the end, he even made room for Georgia to talk to everyone, which surprised the girl at first, but didn't completely intimidate her.

"Uh, hi guys, I know you all know me, I ..." she cleared her throat, staring at all the attentive looks for her "I was taken by surprise, but I know that every day I was here I felt an immense gratitude for everyone, really, everything you did, I know it's part of your work, but you have contributed a lot to make my dream come true, and for that I will always be grateful to you. That is the key word of this improvised speech, gratitude, thank you, people!"

Georgia was even more flattered by the palms that followed, receiving a hug from Jane, who, for the young screenwriter, ended up representing the affection of the entire team.

"You did it, girl, your dreams are real!" Joe smiled at her, all excited.

"Thanks, Joe" Georgia smiled back.

Before she came home, she thought about looking for Ben, to thank him personally for his incredible work playing Alfred Towndingdare, who was one of her favorite characters, but she didn't find him anywhere. It was as if Ben had run away from her, he was purposely avoiding her. Inside Georgia, she found no plausible reasons why this was happening. Maybe she was mistaken, and he must have just been having difficult personal problems.

She decided to make room for him, in such a way that, even after the recordings had ended, and Ben's routine had become lighter for the period after work, Georgia hadn't heard any more from him. No message, no phone call, or at least an appointment on social media, that was too weird.

Joe, who was still living with his friend, knew exactly why he was leaving and, while respecting Ben's decisions about his love life and feelings about Gia, he observed all the ups and downs of his friend, and what was happening to him for being like that. Ben was worried, sorry, with the weight of the world on his back.

"Benny, what is it? You really need to get out of this,” Joseph told him, when he woke up from a random nap on his couch once.

"What? What do you mean? What are you talking about Joe?" The poor host yawned, trying to regain his strength after sleeping so long, struggling to sit up.

"You're very sad because of this story with Georgia, and I'm getting worried about you" confessed the guest.

"Oh, never mind, Joe, someday I'll deal with it head on, but not right now" Ben replied "I know I was very elusive on the recordings, but it was for her good."

"For her good? Ben, you have no idea what she can do if you declare yourself, a good thing can happen ..." Joseph tried to remain optimistic.

"I know, there will come a time when I can't take it anymore and I will talk to her, but I need to be ready for this, now is not the time, you know?" the youngest was more serious, and his tone of voice made it clear that he didn't want to bring it up.

Joe respected him again, silently wishing that the whole drama would be over at once and turned into a happy ending.


	34. A visit

Rami's work in New York was over, which meant he was free and Lucy was going back to England. It had been an agreement between the couple that she would only return when he finished filming, so Rami could accompany her back, and return the favor of Lucy's stay also by spending time in London.

It was clear that one of the intentions of the two with this trip was to reunite Bo Rhap's gang and see how everyone was doing personally. Thinking about it more deeply, Lucy decided that it would be a good idea to surprise her friends, so they didn't tell Ben, or Joe, or the Lees that they were on their way to London.

Arriving at the airport, finally disembarking in London, Rami called Gwilym, seeing how he would react. He immediately answered, surprised to see that his American friend was calling so suddenly.

"Rami, how nice to talk to you!" said Gwilym in his friendly tone "to what do I owe this surprise?"

"Well, I was missing you and everyone" he explained, without saying much more about where you were "how are you? What about Lou and Edith? Did I find you at a bad time?"

"What? No, no, I’m very calm now, we’re all fine, Di and I are watching cartoons now" replied Gwilym.

"That is very much like you, Dad Gwil" commented Rami, which caused a smile from his friend "but if you don't mind, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course, what is it?" the proposal made Gwilym curious.

"Guess where I am right now" Rami asked, and his friend, who was a very smart guy, figured out the riddle once and for all.

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Gwilym "you're here, aren't you? Tell me it is because it can only be that."

"Ah Gwilym! You hardly took a guess, but you got it right" laughed Rami "me and Lucy wanted to go there, we can continue watching cartoons with you."

"Okay, you can come, we'll be waiting, see you soon" Gwil said goodbye, in a hurry to prepare to receive the visitors and spread the good news to the rest of the group.

When Lucy and Rami arrived, the Lees' house was already full of exactly who they wanted to find. Of course, Louisa was still absent and Jane hadn't yet met them, but that didn't prevent the meeting from being warm and full of hugs.

"To tell the truth, you are slightly different from the last time we met" Rami commented "you are more ..."

"Mature, who knows?" Gwilym tried to guess.

"Yes, not to say old and tired, especially in your case" Malek added some more, causing protests and laughter.

"Being a father is not a very easy job, you know?" Gwilym countered with pride.

"And we've been working these days, okay?" Joe included in the justifications.

"I saw it, I was excited about you two working together again" Lucy spoke about the subject "I really want to see this special, they didn't divulge almost anything about what it will be."

"Ah and we can not say much about it too, you will have to wait to know" Ben spoke categorically.

"Ah Ben, I'm glad you said something, I was about to say that you are too quiet" Lucy joked, which took a smile from him.

Ben was actually much more introspective than usual, which caught the attention of Rami and Lucy, but they didn't talk about it anymore. Instead, they went to talk to Jane.

"We only know you from Instagram and what Joe talks about you" Rami said "it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I mean the same about you, seriously" Jane shook their hand enthusiastically "you must already know that I am a big fan of you and the film."

"Yes, the whole story of your poster proves that" Rami smiled.

"We thank you for all your affection" Lucy added.

"When Joe told me that he was willing to send his poster by mail and take it back, I was sure you were very special to him" commented Rami.

"Yeah, isn't it surprising? It caught my attention too, that's when I started to think more about him, that gesture moved me a lot" Jane confessed, in a sweet and shy way.

"I think when I did that I was already in love with you, but without realizing it at that time" Joe told about that moment.

"Ah this is very cute!" exclaimed Lucy, touched.

While everyone was still talking a lot, Louisa came home, a little surprised to see her home so full. Gwilym had warned her about the arrival of Rami and Lucy, but hadn't said anything about Joe, Jane and Ben coming too. Still, she didn't care.

"Hi guys!" She gave a general greeting, going to embrace the newcomers.

"How nice to see you, Lou, it's been a long time since we last met," Lucy pointed out.

"True, we miss you a lot, and now, I feel that the group is complete!" praised Mrs. Lee.

Then she went to see Edith, who was quiet in the corner of the room, playing with her blocks, a little lost in her little world.

"Hi, my love, are you all right?" Louisa said quietly to her daughter, after approaching her.

"Mom!" the girl soon hugged her and the mother returned all the affection "you took long..."

"I took long? Yes, a little, but Daddy didn't come to pick me up either, he got excited about his friends" Louisa explained, being understanding with her husband.

"Friends? Uncle Joe, Uncle Ben, Aunt Jay I know, and the others?" Edith was in doubt.

"Ah they are Uncle Rami and Aunt Lucy, they came from New York" the mother said "don't you remember them? They saw you once when you were a baby."

"I don't remember" the little girl was very sincere.

"Yes, you were too small to remember" Louisa understood "but you don't want to go there and talk to them?"

"They didn't come to talk to me," said the little girl.

"Really? It must be because you were playing" the mother deduced "but now, don't you want to go and talk to them?"

"I think so," Edith agreed.

Her mother picked her up, seeing that she was shy, taking her to where Lucy and Rami were.

"Di is a little shy at times" explained Louisa "I think that's why she didn't come to you, Gwil and I don't usually force her into situations that she is feeling uncomfortable."

"Of course, it's understandable, she really was comfortable alone when we arrived" Rami replied.

"Now she wants to say hi to you, I explained to her who you are" Louisa continued "see Di? Uncle Rami and Aunt Lucy will talk to you too."

"Hi" Edith turned to them, a little shy, but very friendly.

"Hi, Edith, it's good to see you." Lucy smiled at the girl, stroking her cheek.

"How are you? I heard that you love cartoons and Doctor Who" Rami brought up the subject and Edith started talking in her childish way.

The meeting continued in several conversations, making the group of friends made up for the time they were apart from each other.


	35. The Treasure of Gia

Eventually, the joyful reunion at the Lees residence ended, but not before the friends had agreed on what would be the next time they met.

In the following days, Lucy and Rami finished installing themselves, taking the opportunity to explore London, strolling and walking around the city, in one of their favorite pastimes. Lucy also took the opportunity to visit her family, Rami accompanied her on some occasions, but on others, he thought it best to leave the Boyntons at ease. In addition, he would like to make his own private visit.

Ben was taken by surprise to see Rami at his door, without warning, but even so, he received his friend with enthusiasm. It seemed that he and Lucy really liked to make surprise visits.

"Hi, Rami, how are you?" Ben sat with him in the living room "and where's Lucy?"

"Ah she's visiting her family, I'm fine by the way" replied Rami "but I came here because you're not well."

"What?" the youngest was amazed "no, not you too, don't tell me you're finding me a bit down."

"Uh ... I was going to say too sad" corrected the visitor "and apparently it wasn't just me who noticed it, I just say it out of concern, and these other people too."

"You want me to tell you what's going on?" Ben sighed, already tired of it all, before he even tried to say anything.

"That's what I came here for, but I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you" Rami was understandable.

"Okay, it's okay, I understand you are worried about me, but I'm tired of talking or thinking about what is bothering me" Ben replied more softly.

"Okay, I see that I wasn't the first to try to talk to you about it" Rami commented.

"Yeah, that's it" Ben sighed again "I fell in love with Georgia and I don't want to do anything about it."

"What? Why? Sorry, I seem to be charging you" Rami realized his own astonishment about that statement.

"I know, maybe it wasn't exactly what you expected to hear" the youngest shrugged "but that's it, Rami, Joe asked me about it, I told him I wouldn't do anything because she was still worried about her script and everything else, I don't want to scare her or be rejected, or give her another problem."

"Oh Ben ..." lamented Rami, feeling his friend's pains "but you shouldn't see yourself that way, you are no problem for anyone, but I understand your fear."

"I don't know how Georgia would react if I opened up and honestly, I'm not willing to" Ben was categorical.

"But even then, would you at least continue to be her friend?" Rami offered an alternative solution.

"I don't know, Rami, I don't know" Ben denied, shaking his head "maybe, but I want to let her enjoy this moment, she fought so hard for her script to be accepted and everything, she shouldn't even remember me so much like this."

"You seem irreducible to me" commented Rami, with pity "I know that nothing I say will convince you otherwise, to act just before hiding what you feel hurts you the most, so my friend, I just offer you a friendly shoulder, whenever you want and when you need it."

"Thanks Rami, thank you very much" Ben at least managed to smile out of gratitude, even if it was a bitter smile.

The matter wasn't mentioned any more, not by Rami, or Joe, much less by Ben. So the boys focused on something else in common, which was still related to Georgia Deacon, the work that had originated from her project, plus the effort of an entire team had reached its final form, and finally everyone would check it out first hand.

With great joy, Georgia invited Ben, Joe, Gwilym, Rami, Jane, Louisa and Lucy to attend with her at home. The group soon accepted, having a certain fear of visiting the home of John Deacon's son for the first time. Joe and Louisa were the most uninhibited about it. The two knew Robert and Eliza personally and had an already natural friendship with them, so they guided the rest of the group on the visit.

"It's so good that you came" Eliza received them "Gia is very excited and so are we!"

"We're all are, Liz" Louisa confirmed the excitement and general anxiety.

They were surprised by the size of the equipment that Georgia and her father had prepared, there was a big screen in the room, which would broadcast the special in a matter of moments.

"I know it's exaggerated, but I think we deserve to see everything in the best possible way" she said excitedly in front of the guests.

"Of course, Gia" Joe gave her a thumbs up, in which the screenwriter responded with a graceful laugh, which left Ben delighted, but even more uncomfortable.

To their relief, the television was soon turned on and they paid their full attention to "The Treasure of Tez". The beginning was exactly as Gia had envisioned, as she had commented to Chibnall and he made sure to make the opening of the special would be that way. The starry night sky, the design of the spaceship, even how the container had rolled and stopped in Sander's precise hands.

The beginning led to the introduction of Sharon and her family, watching the stars sitting on the porch of their home. It immediately reminded Louisa of her childhood, just as her father and mother watched the stars with her and her siblings.

There was a bit of conflict in the story and audience laughter at seeing Colonel Mounty and cook Judith's discussion, it had been a really fun day for Joe to shoot that scene. It was even difficult to get an entire shot because he burst into laughter every time he said his lines.

Soon after, they followed the entry of Ben's character in the story, Prof. Alfred Towndingdare. Gwilym and Rami called him a heartthrob, which made him embarrassed and the rest of the group laughed. Even Georgia more quietly and seriously, she agreed that Ben was perfect and beautiful on the role. She tried not to sigh so loudly for that.

She let herself be carried away by the story, seeing how far the adventures of Sharon and her friends went because of the alien treasure. After all, the guests and her parents clapped, praising her for writing something so creative, taking great pride in her work and effort. What touched her most was seeing her name in the special credits. It was the concrete image that her dream had finally come true.


	36. The right moment

In the middle of her hectic work routine, Jane had finally taken a short break. It was common for her to work on Saturdays, and more rarely even on Sundays, depending on her schedule, deadlines, or emergencies that arose.

Now, that Saturday, she was determined to enjoy the day and rest, doing whatever was possible to do so. It started with waking up a little later, without caring about schedules. Fully awake, she continued in her pajamas and made her coffee in her own way, enjoying how perfect the drink had become.

A little more willing, Jane got to her feet, fixing something or other that was messy, only then did she relax again, reading one of her new books that, due to her lack of time, had become dusty. As Jane embarked on a literary adventure before her eyes, her boyfriend was busy with other thoughts.

After she and Joe finally started dating, he felt perfectly stable and complete, it was as if his time in London was just what he needed to get it right in his life. And it was from there that he came to a somewhat enlightening perception, he wanted to propose to Jane as soon as possible.

The brake on his conscience ended up interrupting him, dragging him to reason. He counted how long they had been dating, about 11 months, they had met almost a year ago and that fact scared Joe, it showed how much he had stayed in England and who knows now, it was time to take the decisions that were up to him, and one of those was about his relationship with Jane, before he could return home.

In a state of contemplation, he put his feelings and thoughts about his girlfriend on the scale. He loved Jane Glouster with all his strength, it was a pleasure and privilege to have her in his life, to be able to talk to her, to live with her, with all her sweetness, understanding, creativity and even her nervous tics.

When it came to anxiety, Joe identified with it, he was too agitated, anticipating everything he was going to do, which put him in an energetic state. Jane was more restrained in her anxiety, didn't seem to tend to despair so much, but it was something that the two understood well in each other, something that they knew how to deal with perfectly and didn't care that their loved one had.

She was too special, with all the attributes of someone Joe saw as his wife. That was what he wanted for himself at this point in his life, so he decided that he wouldn't miss this opportunity. Of course, there were still things to ponder, what Jane would answer, where they would live, and everything else that came after the wedding. For the moment, Joe just focused on doing his part and what Jane would say.

For now, he decided to keep the idea a secret, all for her sake. He knew how discreet she was and, deep down, he wanted her to be the first of all to learn of his decision, after all, all that disrespected the two only.

So when Saturday came, Joseph's intentions were to talk to Jane about getting married, to see how she felt about it. Still, just in case, he had a nice ring inside his coat pocket.

He arrived anxiously in front of Jane's apartment, as expected, hoping she would come to answer it after ringing the bell. A minute or so passed, and Joe began to find the delay strange, insisted a little more with the bell, ringing three more times, but still there was no answer. Before he gave in to despair, he remembered his cell phone. He called his girlfriend and again, there was no immediate answer, he heard the line call and call, until the call was answered.

"Hello?" said Jane in a yawn.

"Hi, Jane, it's me, are you okay? Did something happen? Tell me you're fine!" Joe said worriedly into the phone.

"I'm great, really, don't worry, I was just dozing - she laughed gracefully."

"Oh good, I was already thinking ... Well, don't mind it" he shook his head "look, I think I better leave you resting, okay? We can talk at night, okay?"

"Wait, Joe, where exactly are you?" Jane was a little suspicious.

"Well, I'm right at your door, but I'll be back later" he was reluctant to remain there, as if he had interrupted something important.

"No, no, no way" she shook her head "you had the effort to come here, so don't move."

Jane ran to the door, opening it without delay, delighted to see Joe right there.

"Hi again" he smiled pleasantly.

"Hi again" she repeated, finding it funny.

"Well, I didn't want to disturb your rest and catch you so off guard for that, I'm sorry" Joe was saying.

"No, no problem, it was nothing" she accepted the excuses "I only regret that I'm in pajamas while you're all dressed up, where were you going like that, Joe?"

"To see you" he was sincere and made her blush "which reminds me of what exactly brought me here, it's not an easy thing to say so right away, and I didn't want to scare you ..."

"Okay" Jane started to fear, even so.

"Look, it might be easier, or more complicated if I show you something" he proposed "but don't worry, you don't need to tell me anything, I don't need an answer right now."

"But what is it, Joseph?" Her anxiety showed a little.

The man in question swallowed, took the box out of his pocket and placed it on Jane's coffee table. She watched everything with wide eyes, realizing what it was.

"You ... Are you really asking me to marry you?" she said in a high-pitched voice.

"Not quite, I wanted to bring up the subject, but I didn't have the courage to say the words" Joe replied, worried.

"But you had the courage to buy a ring" said Jane, still stunned "wait, I need a minute."

She left without much ceremony, since she was at her home. She washed her face and stared at the bathroom mirror, not believing what was happening. Of course, Jane dreamed of getting married one day and she loved Joe, but she didn't expect him to be so rushed and surprise her like that. It was the decision of a life that was at stake, so all she needed was time. All that remained was to tell Joe her conclusions.

He looked at her with concern when she returned to the living room. Jane sat in front of him gently, holding his hands.

"Listen, Joe, I think it's beautiful what you did, or at least thought about doing it, but like you said" she sighed -"I don't need to answer now, so I ask you at least a time to think, at least a week, OK?"

"Okay, Jay, I don't care" he smiled "I want you to be comfortable with all this."

"Thanks" she thanked.

Jane was grateful to have an understanding boyfriend, who she was sure would make an excellent husband. However, she would use the time she had to think of such a big step.


	37. Jane's answer

Even with the temporary agreement, the atmosphere between Joe and Jane got a little strange and the two agreed that he had better go. He said good-bye awkwardly, rushing to leave Jane alone, even with a worried and sad heart.

It didn't mean that she wouldn't accept the request, or that they would split up, but it would take the time she asked to think. As Joe headed back to Ben's apartment, she took a deep breath, searching for the necessary balance to calm down and know exactly what was right to do.

Jane started to think about who Joseph Mazzello was to her. He was a good man, kind, funny, sensitive, who had given him several proofs of how much he loved her. As for his profession, even with a little of the media's eyes on her, she no longer felt as uncomfortable and pressured as before. As Joe once said, all that mattered was what they were to each other, the relationship they had built together. So Jane was fully aware of who Joe was and what their lives would be like if they got married.

Thinking about it, she smiled, had a clear idea of what their routine would be like, what she would have to do and how he would react to it all. Jane was also aware that adversity could arise, but with sincerity and understanding, the two would be ready to overcome them. And that's when she realized, preparation, she felt prepared to become someone's wife, and that someone, it could only be Joe.

Content with her own decision, Jane got up, washed her face, exchanged her pajamas for outfits and made a point of going to see Joe in person.

So he was at Ben's apartment, trying not to think about when Jane would get in touch again, but nothing could divert his mind about it. Until Ben got there, returning from a quick trip to the market, finding his friend in that state of nerves.

"Okay, Joe, what did you do?" asked the youngest.

"Ah Ben! I hope you won't be mad at me for that ..." Joe turned to him "I just proposed to Jane."

"What? That's ... Well, it wasn't what I expected to hear, but I'm happy for you" Ben went from surprise to joy to worry "so what's the problem? Did she even say no?"

"She asked for a while and I came back here" Joe replied "is that I don't know what she will answer and that makes me desperate."

"Okay, so you made a risky move and now you're hoping it worked out" Ben said "look, Joe, as much as you like Jane and are sure you want to marry her, she may say no, and unfortunately my friend, you have to be prepared for that too."

"I know, Ben, I know, every question has the risk of having an unfavorable answer and that is no exception" Joe accepted that this could happen.

Just when he was tending to no, the doorbell rang, making the two men curious, wondering who it might be. No one else but Jane appeared there, a beaming smile appeared on her lips as well, which made Ben happy for his friend.

"Hi, you want to talk to Joe, don't you?" the owner of the house greeted.

"Yes, thanks Ben" Jane thanked and entered, finding her boyfriend distressed by answers.

"Jane ... I didn't expect you to come here" he said, surprised.

"I know, I think I recovered from the scare you gave me faster than I expected" she said with a smile.

"You mean you already thought about everything I said?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, I thought and I didn't have to think more than necessary" she approached Joe "I'm sure I want to be your wife."

"Oh my God, really, Jay? Did you say that?" Joe was surprised and not quite believing what was happening.

"Yes, yes, that's right!" She confirmed, nodding.

"So" Joe composed himself, clearing his throat, taking the ring out of his pocket and kneeling" it's a pleasure to make you my fiancée, Jane Rachel Glouster."

He put the ring in its place and Jane kissed him, showing her happiness at knowing that she was making the right decision.

"Okay then" Joe resumed the serious matter "now that the main answer has been answered, we need to deal with what comes after it."

"That would be to tell family members, right? I think that's the most important thing to do now" guessed Jane.

"Exactly, do you want me to talk to your parents or do you tell them?" Joe was in doubt.

"No, no, I do, I think they will like it, I hope, at least" her anxiety started to emerge.

She made a call to her father and mother, even on speakerphone, Joe didn't say much, he was just listening to what they would say. To their delight and relief, the Glousters approved their daughter's decision.

"Phew, this is really great." He took a deep breath, which made Jane laugh.

"Okay, so, if you can wait a while for me to talk to your family, I thank you very much" she asked.

"Okay, fine" he agreed.

"Look, Joe, there's one more thing that I thought, which is another important thing that I think we have to consider" she said and he paid attention "you live in New York, I live here, and when we get married, where should we live?"

"For me, whatever you decide is fine" he was condescending.

"No, you can't answer me like that, please" Jane charged him "we have to see all the pros and cons, I work here, but you have your life in New York."

"True, but Jane, recently I found a home here in London, I feel very comfortable here, and as you said, you have a job here, I couldn't ask you to give it up for me, after fighting so hard for that" he explained "my job depends on contracts and auditions, there are opportunities for that for me here too."

"So would you move to London?" Jane wanted to have confirmation.

"Without blinking" he confirmed "I know it's a huge decision, but since we are going to start a new life together, nothing better than starting it in a new place."

"Ah you are wonderful!" Jane hugged him with relief "I love you."

"I love you too, future Mrs. Mazzello" he kissed her cheek, without breaking the hug.

Jane had been completely thankful that Joe understood her side, but also relieved that he was comfortable with his own decision. Indeed, they were in complete harmony, which justified their marriage even more.


	38. Coming back home

Gradually, Jane and Joe made their statements to their family members, who were soon happy for them. Thus, she was also able to know what the Mazzellos thought of all this.

"Everyone at home loved the idea, but there is one more thing that my mother asked me, after we told her" Joe told Jane, when he came to visit her to start pressing on the wedding preparations.

"Of course, I understand" Jane worried about what that was about "what exactly was it?"

"Actually, we were talking and we reached a consensus that I had better go back to New York, and I would love for you to go with me, because my mom asked me to introduce you to her personally" Joe told her what the plan was, hoping that she accepted.

"Oh that ..." she nodded slowly, trying to process what that meant "I understand your mother, I just don't know if I'm ready for this, to be honest, I barely processed that when I became your fiancé, I .. Anyway, I would have to meet your family in person too."

"I didn't mean to scare you with that, but as you realized, well, I think it's a necessary thing" he commented.

"Of course, yes, yes, just give me time to prepare, can you?" Jane asked awkwardly.

"Okay" Joe agreed with her and hugged her.

After this small fright, the couple began to dedicate themselves to the wedding preparations. They agreed on the church in which the ceremony would be held in New York, where they would host, what they would serve, what the cake would taste like and what they would wear. Jane, who was so excited to learn that she was getting married, designed her own dress the next day she was asked to marry him. But that was a secret that she kept from Joe, after all she wanted him to only see her as a bride on their wedding day, making a surprise. Finally, they chose the date, six months from now, which was the time they thought was necessary for everything to be ready, including them.

With everything defined, Jane asked for a few days' leave from work, so that her trip to New York could be made. She left a lot of work upfront, leaving her team with final instructions, and leaving one of them as a supervisor until her return. With wishes for good luck and a good trip, they said goodbye to Jane, ensuring that they would do a good job. She knew she could count on them, getting more relaxed.

So her next step would be to pack her bags, meeting Joe at the end of the day. He was the one who had rung the bell while she waited for him to arrive in the room.

"Hi" she smiled and kissed him.

"Are you ready for our big adventure?" he said, excited.

"As ready as I can be, but yes, I think so" she nodded, trying to have more courage and confidence.

Joe helped her load her bags and in a matter of minutes, they were on their way to the airport. Jane was sure that everything would go well, but still, anxiety played tricks on her, making her worry too much.

Joe left her with her own thoughts for a while, while taking pictures, filming and posting. All that international travel climate made Jane think about her life, when she took her big step out of the house in search of her dream, leaving Perth for London and, right now, she was on another similar journey, she was about to leave. getting married, which was another defining and changing moment for her life. It made sense for her to travel to mark this new stage.

On the plane, Joe ended up sleeping after they talked for a while. As they flew, Jane stared out the window, thinking once again that the last time she flew over her beloved Australia, and now she would meet her beloved Joe's beloved America.

When they arrived in the city, Jane was able to enjoy the beautiful view of Manhattan, with the buildings and houses and all the bustle around. She let Joe guide her to his mother's house, while focusing on what she was going to do from there.

Virginia Mazzello came to receive them with all the affection and love, and of course, she missed her son, hugging Joe for a long time, until she thought she was being rude to his girlfriend.

"Okay, mom, I know you missed me, but here I am!" Joe laughed after she released him.

"I know so" she nodded and turned to Jane "and this lovely girl must be Jane Glouster! It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

"Likewise, Mrs. Mazzello" Jane was relieved not to have stumbled on the words.

"It's my pleasure to welcome you here, Joe hasn't been dating for a long time and now he's getting married, that's very good!" Virginia prolonged the conversation.

"Mom, don't talk like that" he was naturally embarrassed.

"Okay, sorry, I know I overreacted, but I'm happy" she fixed it "so, Jane, what can you tell me about you? I really want to know my future daughter-in-law a little better."

"Oh ma'am, I am very modest, there is nothing very extraordinary about me" she replied "well, I am Australian, from Perth, I have lived in London for a long time, I work at the BBC as head of costume."

"You are a costume designer for BBC! Congratulations, it must be an excellent position!" praised Joe's mother.

"Thanks, ma'am "Jane thanked, feeling more comfortable, managing to tell more about her trajectory.

It made her feel calmer, feeling better when Mary and John arrived at the house.

"I hope you don't mind us coming, Joe said he would be here today, and we really wanted to see him and you" Mary was nice to Jane "I'm Mary, Joe's older sister and this is the youngest."

"John!" John held out a hand to the future sister-in-law "John Mazzello, but just call me John."

"Okay" Jane managed to smile at the joke "Mary, John, it's a pleasure to meet you both too."

"It's so good, we feel the same way with us, it's great that you're joining our family" Mary replied.

"Wow, thank you, listening to this makes me much calme"- Jane sighed with relief.

"Hum, I know, you must be thinking about how you will endure Joe for the rest of your life" John joked again.

"Stop it, John!" Joe complained.

"Yeah, I think you're being unfair to your brother, Joe is a wonderful man, really" Jane smiled "it's a big responsibility to be getting married, even if I feel prepared for it."

"I know how it is, but this feeling goes away in practice, you will see that the burden is a little easier to carry than we imagine" Virginia advised and Jane nodded.

It was clear that Mrs. Mazzello still had beautiful memories of her late husband, and that touched her future daughter-in-law. Jane realizing her feelings, offered her a hug. The gesture from his fiancée left Joe calm that Jane would be fully integrated into his family.


	39. The Job Interview

After the laborious and widely read and reread by different people, Georgia's script became a television special, few things have changed in her life.

Being honest with herself, she was surprised to see that even after the debut she was still quiet anonymity. It was to be expected that people wouldn't recognize her immediately, after all, within the show, she was just a name in the final credits, but things didn't stay that way for long.

A few months passed and before Georgia got worried and despaired again, she received a new call from Chris Chibnall. The producer had become attached to the young woman since they started working with her, perfecting their work together, so when a golden opportunity arose among his acquaintances, Georgia was the first option he thought of to fill her.

"Hello Mr. Chibnall, how are you?" she was nice and formal as always, showing all the respect and admiration she had for him.

"Hello, Georgia, I'm fine, I'm happy to be able to talk to you" Chris replied "I needed to talk to you urgently, are you busy now?"

"No, no sir, I can talk to you now" she redoubled her attention.

"I scheduled an interview for you on ITV this Thursday, at two in the afternoon" he said "they have an internship to accompany the creative team of the studio and I think this will be the perfect job for you."

"Really, Mr. Chibnall? Okay, thank you, thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart" she replied excitedly, so grateful for that tremendous opportunity.

Georgia started to laugh alone, such was her happiness, but soon after, reality knocked on her door, she would still have to pass the interview and get the internship, and now, that was what she was worried about. She left her room, running down the stairs, wanting to break the news to her parents, but also to hear their advice on how to behave in the interview.

"Mom, mom!" she called to Eliza, looking everywhere.

"Here, Gia!" she shouted from her small office, which she shared with Robert occasionally.

"Mom, you won't believe what just happened" Gia started excited, as when she always spoke, her mother smiled and waited for her to proceed, patiently "Mr. Chibnall called me, I'm going to do an interview at ITV, for a position as an intern."

"ITV? Gia, are you serious?" her mother also shared her joy "but what internship? Is it about writing?"

"Mr. Chibnall described as to accompany the creative team, I understood that it's kind of like learning with those who already work there" Georgia explained "mom, I need to get this job."

"Okay, ok, just keep calm, my girl" Eliza asked, gesturing for her daughter to sit next to her "interviews are difficult, but not impossible, the secret is to keep calm and be sincere in your answers."

"Okay" Georgia took her mother's advice "and what else?"

"Well, I think it's important that you mention that you worked for the BBC, that the interviewer watches "The Treasure of Tez" and that you were under the mentoring of Chris Chibnall" Eliza listed the important points.

"Yes, yes, yes, all this is very good" agreed the young woman.

"Keep positive thinking and everything will be fine" Mrs. Deacon assured her with a motherly and welcoming smile, it was all Georgia needed to know to make sure it worked.

Georgia received her father after he arrived from work with a big hug and soon told about the internship, Robert was also very happy with the news.

"Yeah, honey, see? Your hard work paid off" he kissed his daughter's cheek "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you very much dad, but even so, I feel like my job is just beginning" confessed Georgia.

"So, don't lose heart and get to work" her father decided.

It was always a great relief for Georgia to have the unconditional support of her parents. So she spent the next few days getting ready for the interview, training her answers to the questions she assumed would be asked.

On Thursday, in the early afternoon, she took a deep breath, facing the facade of ITV Studios. She fixed her mother's borrowed blazer around her, ran her hand through her long combed hair, hugged her briefcase that contained her script (a new one, since the original was a little worn from being handled), and marched inside, trying to look and feel confident. She asked for information at the reception quickly, and walked to a waiting room.

There, she faced another secretary, who confirmed her presence there, so all that was left for Georgia at the moment was to sit and wait, a skill she wasn't so good at. It was in her nature to be a little restless from a very young age, and now, mixed with nervousness, it was more difficult to contain.

"Georgia Deacon, come in" the same secretary said the girl's name, and she hurried to enter.

Her interviewer seemed friendly, but nonetheless, serious and focused, somewhat intimidating because of her position in relation to Georgia.

"Good afternoon, Georgia" she greeted and went straight to the point "you had recommendations from Chris Chibnall, he is one of our former associates, so I would like to say that this counts in your favor. I also heard that you worked on a script for the BBC recently."

"All that is correct, yes" the young woman said.

"So, tell me more about this experience and your writing process, and what you hope to learn if you get this position" the interviewer continued.

"Well, I decided to be a screenwriter and test my ideas in practice, I already had an idea in mind, so I started to develop it as I could, from an idea, I organize myself on top of the events that lead the narrative to happen, and then I think of them and work individually on each one, that's what I perfected working with Mr. Chibnall" Georgia's preparation helped her to think about exactly what to say, which gave her more confidence to continue describing this whole process.

In the end, she was certain that she had done very well. The secretary dismissed her, wishing her luck. Now, Georgia had to use a little more faith, believing that everything would work out, just as she had managed to bring her script to a television studio, which turned it into a real show.


	40. A wedding in New York

Joe had lost count of how long he had been there at the great Cathedral in Manhattan. For him, the weather that day was very strange. He had counted day after day, week after week, until he got to his wedding date. He had gotten ready even faster than his brothers. It wasn't just anxiety, there were several details that still needed his attention. Time seemed to have suddenly slowed.

Now, after everything was ready, he was in the church, walking around, greeting the guests, trying to experience each moment with as much tranquility as he could. Joe was delighted to see his friends from London there, the whole Deacon family had attended, along with Gwilym, Louisa and Edith, and of course, Ben.

Both he and Georgia looked much better than they had in the past few months. She had achieved a wonderful internship at ITV, watching, taking notes, learning from the best who worked there, how to be a good screenwriter. It was all the subsidy and base necessary for her to one day continue her creative work more independently. So both Joe and Ben didn't have as much time to talk to her as often, Gia was very busy with work.

Benjamin dealt with her withdrawal by giving Joe all the help he needed at the crucial stages of their wedding. Speaking of wedding, Jane also tried to remain calm, trying not to get too emotional and lose her senses.

She could never have imagined that she would be married on a continent other than Oceania, but since she had decided to change her life by going to London, her heart was more open to that kind of possibility. At that moment when she was putting the finishing touches on her look before going to church, she didn't feel alone, her parents were there, and she couldn't be happier about it.

"Mom, dad, I don't even know how to thank you for coming here" she turned to them, looking into their eyes.

"You've thanked her enough for that, dear, since we got here," Simon, her father, assured her.

"We would go anywhere you were, you are our daughter, and there is nothing we wouldn't do for you" Susie, her mother, held her hands "now come on, Jane, we don't want to keep Joe waiting."

"Of course, he would probably freak out, and me too, because of him" Jane laughed.

She took one last look in the mirror, fixing her bangs, adjusting her glasses over her nose, determined to go on with what she was about to do.

For a moment, at Joe's request, Ben left the church, looking down the street to see if Jane was already on her way. When he was going back inside, wanting to warn his friend that he should be a little more patient, he found who he didn't want to face that day.

Georgia was playing with her cousins on the sidewalk, helping the children to be distracted from boredom. Ben couldn't ignore his heart pounding, how she looked so happy, so laughing, more determined than the Gia he met before she got her job. He was completely willing to speak to her at that moment, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Jane and her parents.

Ben pulled himself together and entered the church, placing himself next to Gwilym, who was also one of the godparents. He, Gwil, Rami, Lucy, Louisa, John and Mary ran down the corridor, announcing the bride's entry.

Joe took a deep breath, concentrating fully on what he was going to do next. Jane was radiant, her dress had long and loose sleeves, the hem was not so long, as she feared to trip and fall. Her dark hair was loose over her shoulders and over her head, there was a tiara of white flowers, a real princess. Joe took her gently from Mr. Glouster and then the ceremony began.

"My dear friends, it's with great joy that today, each of us, is pleased to witness our good friends, Joseph Francis Mazzello III and Jane Rachel Glouster unite together, before God, as husband and wife" the priest began "Jane Glouster, do you take Joseph as your husband, to love, respect and honor him every day of your life?"

"Yes" she looked at Joe, even shy with a sincere smile.

"Joseph Mazzello, do you want to take Jane as your wife, to love, respect and honor her every day of your life?"

"Of course, yes" Joe nodded several times, looking at her too.

The rings were brought by Joe's nephews, and placed in front of the priest. With a nod, he let Jane give it to the groom first, and say her vows. She handed him the ring and then said:

"I don't know how to explain how special you are to me" she shrugged, somewhat amazed "I am first of all very blessed to have you as my friend, you were always attentive, kind, managing to get a smile from me most difficult times. I just want to be able to repay it all, every minute, every day. I love you, Joe."

There was an interruption of applause that surprised the couple. Joe waited for the noise to stop and continued with his part. He put the ring on his bride's finger and cleared his throat.

"Jane Glouster, my precious Jay" he said dreamily "you caught my attention from the first moment I saw you, in fact, we didn't meet in the most ... Delicate way, but still, that bump took me to you, dedicated, hardworking, intelligent, creative, sensitive. You are so much more than I expected to have in a wife and I hope to be up to you, every bit of time we are together. Today, I show everyone and the world that I love and will forever love, just you, Jane."

Clapping and laughter accompanied Joe's speech. Thus, the priest allowed him to kiss his bride and the atmosphere of the cathedral became just one. From the newlyweds to each of the guests, they felt the same happiness, shared for the same reason.


	41. Nothing but the truth

Joe and Jane's wedding ceremony had been beautiful and exciting, not only for them, but for each of their friends and family. Their union had a special and individual meaning for each of those present, but for Ben and Gia, it had a similar meaning. His friends were happy, while the two of them were unable to resolve their present situation.

They were still avoiding encounters with each other, even among the other guests who wanted to greet the couple. Ben and Georgia were paying attention to each other in the same way, seeing if they were away from each other long enough. Gia saw Ben leave the church, not sure if he had already greeted Joe and Jane, she took advantage of his absence and got in line.

"It was all so beautiful!" she praised the newlyweds "my congratulations on the wedding, I wish you to be very happy."

"I thank you, Georgia" Jane hugged her.

"It's great to hear those words from a dear friend like you" Joe also thanked.

So she left, joining the rest of her family, heading for the reception.

"Are you all right, my daughter?" Eliza asked on the way.

"Hum? I am, yes, why Mom? Did I do something? I don't know, something ..." Georgia herself reacted much more scared and nervous than her mother thought.

"It's nothing, don't worry, I'm just finding you a little ... Distracted? I don't know" Eliza also seemed lost, trying to understand.

"I'm just thinking, how exciting it is, you know?" the young girl disguised a bit, not wanting to tell the truth "we made a really long trip to New York to see a wedding, and I never left London, and I haven't been to a wedding in a long time, all this is really cool!"

"It really is," her father agreed, with a knowing smile, seeing that she was still upset.

Georgia only nodded, becoming quieter the rest of the way. Arriving at the reception, she was very happy to sit at a safe distance from Ben, he was with the Lees, and she with her parents. For an instant, their eyes met and she did her best to hide it.

If Eliza and Robert had to deal with Georgia's restlessness, in Ben's case, Gwilym and Louisa played the same role, trying not to disturb him, and really, he was quieter than usual.

"Are you a little tired, Ben?" Louisa tried, being a little maternal.

"Ah yes, I confess that yes" that answer behind the simple smile had much more depth than it appeared.

"You know Joe won't let you go anytime soon, right?" Gwilym pointed out "if you want, I can go get you some coffee."

"Oh no Gwil, don't bother, that will pass, thanks for the kindness" Ben nodded, and then turned his eyes to Gia again, unable to avoid doing so.

"Uh ... Did you hear about Georgia's internship?" Louisa noticed where her friend's gaze was and then tried to bring up a subject that showed Ben's reaction to her.

"Internship? No, I didn't know, we haven't talked for a while" he confessed "what kind of internship?"

"In ITV, accompanying the team of writers" Louisa said "well, I'm sorry to be very frank, but don't you think it would be better to talk to her about it directly?"

"Of course, I ... I'm kind of silly" Ben smiled awkwardly, and Louisa felt bad about it.

Before either of them did anything, they were interrupted by Joe.

"Well, Jane and I appreciate the presence of each one of you" he smiled happily at the guests "and now, we want you to have a little fun."

That said, the newlyweds' playlist started playing, they opened the dance floor, dancing to a romantic ballad. Some couples accompanied them, including the Lees, but Ben, feeling even worse for seeing so much public display of affection, chose to leave the room for a while. Georgia also felt that way, and inevitably, she found Ben there, sighing deeply as she watched him.

"How are you, Georgia?" he was forced to speak, a little more restrained and silent.

"I'm fine and you?" she continued the conversation politely.

"I'm fine" he lied "uh ... Congratulations on the internship, Louisa told me."

"Ah thank you, I wanted to tell you, but ..." she interrupted "never mind, it's silly."

"No, I doubt it is" he took pity on her, yielding to her feelings.

Georgia then took another long breath.

"Look Ben, I like you a lot, I fall ..."

"I fell in love with you too" he added, saying quietly.

"Oh God, that ..." Gia was surprised, but then, all her perception led her to logic "I think I ... I realized this for a moment, but I was so scared that I ignored, ignored my feelings, ignored you..."

"I also did the same thing" Ben confessed "so, how things get between us?"

"Well, I ..." she sighed and faced him with courage "my wish was to kiss you, hug you, that you would pick me up and take me running, promising that you would never leave me."

"Wow ... " Ben allowed himself to react to that sincere fantasy "Georgia, I wish I could do that for you, but I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean?" she was willing to know the truth.

"I left my last girlfriend very dissatisfied" he confessed "I don't know what I did wrong ..."

"If you don't give yourself another chance, you'll never have a chance to fix your mistakes" she declared, getting closer.

Using her last bit of daring, Georgia kissed him and Ben didn't reject her, he gave himself up to the gesture of affection he had longed for.

"Are you giving me this chance?" Ben asked, heartily.

"Yes, I'm willing to do that" she stated with all courage.

Ben smiled and kissed her. Finally the weight on their hearts had dissipated. Hand in hand, they returned to the ballroom, Ben was eager to dance with her, but he went to Robert and Eliza first.

"Your daughter has been my biggest reason to live in the last few months and I want to heartily ask you to allow me to date her" Ben asked.

"Oh so that was what it was all about" Eliza understood everything "oh I think that's fine with me."

"You are responsible and dedicated to my daughter, and I see how much she likes you, so you have my blessing" Robert agreed.

"Thanks, I love you!" Gia hugged her parents quickly and pulling Ben to the dance floor, they positioned themselves for the next song.

They were so involved that they ended up kissing there in the middle of the room. Surprise came from all sides, but surely the most shocked were Georgia's grandparents. John and Veronica gave Eliza and Robert a questioning look, and her father, in turn, only replied:

"It's all right, guys."

With more relief and joy shared also by the new couple, Ben and Gia continued to kiss there, celebrating for having left that state of hiding to fully show their happiness.


	42. A good pair

Ben felt a little intimidated by being there, about to enter where he had to enter. He had been asked to go there, and yet he was uneasy as he faced the Smith-Deacons' door.

It had been exactly a week since he and Georgia had been dating, and she had invited him to spend the day with her, and Gia's parents had liked the idea, also insisting that Ben come. So, given the insistent requests, there he was. He finally rang the bell, taking a step of courage, hoping that someone would come to meet him.

"Hello, Ben, please come in" Eliza answered him, being very polite and kind, making him feel more comfortable.

"Hi, Mrs. Deacon, thank you" he thanked, finishing entering.

"Ah I knew it was you!" Georgia appeared suddenly, scaring, but cheering up her boyfriend, who was starting to get used to her way "great, I have so much to tell you ..."

"It looks like you already have everything planned" he commented, while his girlfriend pulled him by the arm, too excited.

"Uh, not everything, I was just wondering if we could go for a walk after lunch" she confessed, stopping in front of him "but for now, I just wanted to talk to you."

"And this I am sure you have already planned" Ben chuckled, sitting with her, pleased to see her so lively and cheerful, returning to be as she always was.

"It's that you asked about the internship and I didn't say much about it, but now I want to tell you everything, if you want to hear me and know, of course" Georgia saw that she was a little too excited, in a way that could turn inconvenient.

"It's always a pleasure to hear from you," Ben said, with a proud smile.

"That makes me very happy" Georgia was touched by his words, kissing his cheek in thanks.

So she continued, telling how she found the interview somewhat difficult due to her nervousness, the joy she felt when she learned that she had won the job and best of all, to be working daily.

"Of course, I haven't written for a long time" Gia clarified "in fact, I haven't written since I finished working with Tez, now I'm focused on developing my skills, I participate in meetings, I write down what I find interesting, of course, I follow some of the shows, to better understand the narrative line and what the writers will develop in the future. Some of them even stopped to talk to me, you know? They praised me for Tez and gave me some valuable tips."

"I think it's great how much you are learning" Ben said his opinion "you just need to put everything into practice."

"You mean trying to write another script?" she deduced "I don't know, you know, Ben, I think it's too early. I am still absorbing all this new information, plus what I learned from Mr. Chibnall, and also, I haven't had any other good ideas yet."  
/"  
"Is there anything else that ... I don't know, makes you hesitate?" he dared to ask, worried.

"Uh ..." Gia said a little unpretentiously, while scratching her head, trying to hide it "I think you know me very well for such a short time of dating ..."

"Oh I'm a good observer" Ben shrugged, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

"Yeah, and you're a good boyfriend, thanks" Gia gave him another kiss of gratitude "you're right, yes, I think I'm still scared ..."

"Scared? Are you scared?" he was surprised, but it was natural and understandable "you are the fearless Georgia Deacon! Nothing can stop you."

"This motivational chat helps" she allowed herself to laugh "but seriously, Ben, after all that hardship I went through to get someone to produce my script, I think I was a little immature, I didn't consider reality completely."

"But still, you took a brave step and didn't give up and in the end you were rewarded for it" Ben declared.

"I know, and don't worry, I won't give up, it's just that I'm learning to be more careful, to have better strategies to have lesser frustrations" she explained her point of view.

"I understand what you said, and I think it's a wise decision, I'm very happy to see that you grew up and matured with all this" Ben said at last, once again showing his pride for his girlfriend.

After that deep conversation, Gia decided that they needed a lighter past time. In her room, all of her video game apparatus was set up, and Ben agreed to play initially friendly matches.

Before the big battles fought, Ben noticed the components in the room. The single bed was in the middle of the room, with a lilac bedspread spread impeccably. The closet was neat and tidy, seen from the outside and with closed doors, but something told Ben that some mess would reveal itself if the doors were opened. On the desk was the notebook full of stickers, superheroes and jedi and sith.

Speaking of Star Wars, there was also a little figure of a younger Obi-Wan on the table holding his imposing lightsaber, and on the walls, posters of all the episodes of the George Lucas saga. To accompany them, and to slightly differentiate the Star Wars theme, there was a single poster for "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade".

For a moment, Georgia saw Ben's gaze noticing her decor, which made her smile with satisfaction.

"You really are a big fan of the classics" praised Ben, with a hiss.

"Yeah, here are my biggest inspirations" she said proudly "but enough of that, Mr. Hardy, let's go to the game!"

"Okay, I'm not running from the challenge" he laughed.

Georgia helped him choose a character in Fortnite, and then their dispute started, as much as the characters played in pairs, they collected individual benefits here and there. Ben noticed how competitive Gia was and wondered if it was better to let her win. She noticed him relaxing on purpose, so she ended up competing even more.

"If you let me win on purpose, I won't give you a break" she challenged.

"What if I end up winning?" he risked.

"That's what we will see until the end of the match, do your best!" she instigated him.

So they competed head to head and Ben ended up winning.

"Sorry, Gia, it wasn't my intention ..." he tried, not sure how she would react.

"Oh, that's the goal of playing, winning and having fun, don't worry, I'm a good loser, it was a fair victory" Gia made it clear.

Ben was relieved and ended up kissing her for her sportsmanship. After all, Georgia didn't lose completely.


	43. Adventures in Perth

Jane found it funny and curious how Joe could sleep for hours and hours, with his mouth open and making faces, even babbling something, but even then, nothing could wake him up. She, in turn, was already very awake, super excited to be in her homeland again. It had been a long trip to Australia, which justified Joe's tiredness, but Jane wanted to be able to go outside, leave the hotel they were in and be able to breathe a little more of the Perth air, but she waited patiently for her husband to wake up.

Husband ... Jane thought, it was something to get used to, a change that had been made even more marked by the recent trips the couple had made. She arrived in New York with the surname Glouster, the name of her family, of which she was very proud. In the United States, she became Mrs. Mazzello, and that was how she arrived in Australia, and in the same way she would return to London, living a new life, and that day, she was literally taking the first steps towards that. She felt a sense of joy at being called Jane Mazzello.

Still waiting for Joe to wake up, not wanting to deprive him of his much needed and well-deserved rest, she sat down on the little table in the room, starting to make some doodles, sketches of costumes she was creating at the time, just to distract herself and spend the time.

"Jane? ..." she heard Joe calling in the distance, his voice was still in the back of his throat because of his sleep.

"Hi, good morning, my love" she stood up at once, sporting an excited smile "is everything okay?"

"I'm fine..." Joe straightened up, still speaking quietly, and before continuing, he had another big yawn "let me know, you didn't let me sleep too much, right? Or miss out on something you wanted to do?"

"Oh no, don't worry" she laughed a little "be calm, we don't have anything strictly planned and I think the priority of the moment is to let you rest, we can do whatever we want when you feel better."

"Oh no, I'm fine, I'm rested, now it's your turn to not worry" Joe assured her "just give me a minute to get ready and our adventure will start, Mrs. Mazzello!"

Jane laughed some more at the excited way he spoke, Joe really wanted to know more about Australia. They had breakfast together, and then left the hotel, following Jane's directions. She didn't fail to notice how curious Joe was looking out the taxi window. For Jane, who had recently been to New York, she didn't think her husband would be so impressed with Perth, the two cities were at least alike, with all their excitement and busy people here and there.

The couple then got out of the car, thanking the taxi driver, and heading for a park. It wasn't just any park, it was where Jane used to come often when she was younger, her favorite coffee shop in Perth was there.

"Welcome to Kings Park, my love!" she presented with all enthusiasm.

"Thanks for the reception, I couldn't feel more welcomed" Joe kissed her cheek, sharing his excitement.

They walked for a while, hand in hand, while Jane told about the park. Finally, they arrived at the cafe that Jane liked, placing her orders next. They didn't take long there, Joe pretended to complain a little about her haste, in a fun way, in which Jane just rushed him over.

"I guarantee it will be worth it!" She assured and once again, Joe trusted his wife.

She was right, Jane had taken him to a kind of crystal bridge, which cut through the treetops. There, they made a short stop, watching the view from above, breathing the pure air that came from the trees.

"You are lucky to have grown up here, Jay, it really is a very beautiful place," Joe said admiringly, as he held his wife close to him.

"I know, it was very difficult to leave Perth, after all it was the only home I have ever known" Jane admitted "but I did well in London, it turned out that everything worked out."

-"But not by chance, don't forget that you worked hard for everything to work out" he pointed out.

"Still, there are times when you count a little on chance in your favor," she mused.

"Hum, like the fact that we met?" Joe looked at it this way "if I didn't know Gwilym, maybe there would be no way for us to know each other."

"Or we would know each other in another way" countered Jane "as I said, I believe that what should happen, will happen, regardless of anything."

"In that case, it's good that, in whatever way it is, we are together now" he looked at her passionately.

"Now and forever" Jane said with certainty.

Joe didn't miss the ideal moment and kissed her there on the bridge, without caring much about the people who were watching. That was the Mazzellos' morning in Perth, because after lunch, they enjoyed the afternoon at Cottesloe beach. There was something that neither of them were so used to.

"Is it serious that you never went to the beach?" Joe asked, after they found a good place to set up their umbrella and sit down.

"I just never had much interest, you know? I don't know how to explain it properly, it was something so common for everyone that I was never interested" she shrugged, giving an explanation.

"And you wanted to come here because Gwil came to talk about the beaches in Australia?" Joe wanted to know.

"It was more because of you, you talked about it, and I thought it would be a nice thing for us to do" Jane confessed "I imagine that you also didn't exactly grow up going to the beach often."

"You're right, Mrs. Mazzello" he nodded "swimming in the Hudson is not exactly recommended."

"Yeah, I know" she laughed, understanding the humor behind her husband's phrase "but here we are, do you want to go into the sea?"

"The ladies, first, Jay" he gave a mischievous smile, and ended up leaving his wife behind, in the little race that came between them.

Jane didn't care, while Joe was further away, she was still taking her first steps, letting the water slowly wet her feet. Her husband, being a little more sensitive, went over to her, holding her hands, leading her to where he was. In this way, Jane and Joe were at the same level inside the sea, sharing the moment, celebrating their love and their union.


	44. The new series

Gwilym couldn't help feeling uncomfortable going to his father-in-law's house that night. Not that it was a bad thing, he had passed the stage of feeling nervous at the Mays' house a long time ago, since he was scheduled to work on "Bohemian Rhapsody" or when he started dating Louisa. Now, his nervousness was due to another job.

For months he worked on the newest Doctor Who season and it was something that not only Gwilym anticipated, but also his wife's family. They had a long tradition of watching the series together, and Gwil couldn't help it, their enthusiasm was understanding. He felt even more the responsibility to be the Doctor's new adventure companion because of them.

"It's going to be all right, Gwil" Louisa didn't need words to understand what was going on in her husband's head "I know it's normal to feel nervous because of a debut, but I'm sure everyone will love you in Doctor Who."

"Yeah, I know" he gave her a grateful smile.

"Remember when they found out you were on the show?" Mrs. Lee quoted "I'm sure they are even more excited today."

What Louisa said proved to be correct as soon as they arrived at her parents' house. They felt the great warmth of Brian and Chrissie, and greeted the rest of the family. Jimmy was next to Rory, Isaac sat as close to the television as possible so as not to miss any details, Justin was paying more attention to Emily than anything else, since she was in the last stages of pregnancy. Finally, Louisa and Gwilym sat next to each other, Edith stayed on her mother's lap, listening to what would be shown on TV.

When the opening of the program began, no one else gave a peep. The smile they gave shortly after reading Gwilym's name on the screen was unanimous. Soon after, they read the name of the episode, "Dismissal", which was very suggestive.

They followed the story of Terry Clay, Gwilym's character, who took a lot of screen time. Until then, Gwil watched the performance itself, without remembering much of the opinion of his relatives. Terry was a very clumsy and insecure guy, with a low production in the store where he worked, so he was fired. Only he barely had time to be sad, meeting the Doctor shortly thereafter.

It was a very funny encounter, with Terry arguing and questioning, until the Doctor shut him up calling him Terrance, the real name he hated. From there, they started to run from the intergalactic monsters, with Terry guiding the Doctor through the departments of the store.

In the end, they save the day together, Terry is delighted with everything he saw and who the Doctor is, plus TARDIS 'unbelievable vision. After so long feeling unsuccessful, there was no way out of such a tremendous adventure, and so Terry's journey with the Doctor began, and with the end of the episode, Louisa's family's opinions also came.

"You were great, great!" Mrs. Lee proudly kissed her husband's cheek "you were right, Terry even looks like you in some ways."

"You say about Gwilym being clumsy?" Jimmy asked his sister "I can't believe he's like that."

"Oh you didn't see anything, Jim" Gwilym himself gave him a suggestive answer.

'Dad, is that all you noticed?" Isaac replied "I loved Terry's plan and he working with the Doctor, and the way he said "take this"! It was awesome!"

"It's great to hear that, Zac" his uncle smiled at the compliments.

The whole family had excellent comments about the episode, Jodie and Gwilym's performance, which made him a lot more relaxed to keep following the season. The next episodes were watched at home, with no more family gatherings for the time being, but that didn't mean that they were less appreciated or commented on among family members.

Beside Gwilym and Edith, Louisa enjoyed historical episodes, also attentive to every detail, whether they were being faithful to the facts or not. For that reason, she had loved the episode about Ancient Egypt, thinking that Gwilym had looked good in Egyptian in disguise. The Victorian episode left the protagonists very elegant, dressed in character and unraveling mysteries worthy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Terry continued to show his courage and cleverness in the episode when he and the Doctor visited the gas planet and he improvised an armor. But what impressed Louisa and most fans around the world was the episode in which Terry and the Doctor try to save Terry's sister, Chloe, from an alien race that kidnapped her, who turned out to be the daleks.

Once again, Terry stood out, placing himself in front of his sister, negotiating her life, trying to unravel the enigmas that the enemies proposed to him. Ultimately, he was seriously injured, on the verge of death, but guaranteeing Chloe's life. The Doctor took pity on him, staying by his side until he recovered. All the fans had to wait until the next episode to see what Terry would look like.

Of course, because of this, Gwilym was persuaded on all sides to tell what happened, but he was more firm and managed to keep the secret, repeating to friends and family that, in the end, it would be worth the wait and so was.

What went on in the series' story was shocking, devastating, but it touched everyone who watched it. Louisa, who always cried when she saw one of the characters played by her husband in pain, was even more moved to see Terry in that state.

In the last episode of the season, he questioned the Doctor, of having imposed so much risk on so many friends. The two agreed that the adventures were fun, but extremely dangerous, and in the end, Terry asked a question that the Doctor was unable to answer, how many more was she willing to sacrifice in her endless crusade to save the world. After the argument, they separated, Terry didn't even look back, while the TARDIS was slowly disappearing.

When the episode ended, Louisa was devastated, and deep down, Gwilym felt bad for his wife. Edith, for her part, didn't quite understand what was happening.

"Are you okay?" he tried, expecting some reaction from his wife.

"Yes, I am" she sniffed, taking a deep breath and composing herself "looking on the bright side, you just make me cry with emotion with your characters, you never make me sad in real life."

"This is a very unusual observation" he murmured "and what did you think?"

"I thought it was great!" Louisa got excited again "Terry is one of the few companions who question the consequences of the Doctor's actions in that way, and the way he grew up over the season, plus the way he was suffering from seeing that it was better to leave the Doctor ... It's a sad story, but so beautiful, done in such a beautiful way ... I can only congratulate you, my love."

"Thank you, thank you very much, Lou" he hugged her, grateful, both dealing with many emotions.

Fortunately for Gwilym, Terry Clay was accepted very well among fans, even with a minority of critics about him. As a good Doctor Who fan, he knew this was normal, and overall, he was happy to have fulfilled his mission to be a companion to the Doctor and part of his favorite series.


	45. Geting ready for Christmas

Gradually, as the year drew to a close, things were getting slower and calmer. For example, for Louisa, her duties in relation to the school, her reports in relation to her students were getting ready and she had more time to spare at home. Her students also used the period to plan what they would do during the recess.

Seeing them so excited, she started to think about what the holidays would be like this time. Some things had changed in her life, which made her create new expectations about the celebrations that year. First of all, she had married Gwilym three years ago, and since then they had spent Christmas at her parents' house and on the New Year, traveled to Wales to spend the New Year with the Lees. Now, the couple there was Edith, her little girl who was still adorable and growing up, still not quite understanding what Christmas was. Besides, it wasn't just Mrs. Lee who was thinking about these changes, but also her colleague, Mrs. Mazzello.

Jane was used to spending most Christmases alone, it was not always enough to afford a trip to Perth every year, but she always called her parents, exchanging good wishes for each other. This year, however, she had all the company of her husband, Joe was also adapting to the changes. Since he was a little boy, he loved Christmas, and even though he was away from his family, he was willing to create new traditions with Jane that year.

When October came in the middle, both the Lees and the Mazzellos who lived in London began their planning for Christmas. There weren't a lot of decorations in Gwilym and Louisa's apartment, and they decided to take Edith to a store, letting her choose new decorations and experience the festive atmosphere of the season. Joe and Jane in turn had no Christmas decorations, which was an issue that should be resolved as soon as possible.

Before leaving the house, they took a look at their residence. It was a typical suburban house, very comfortable, with a small area in the front and a larger yard, on the top floor were three bedrooms, only one occupied by the couple and in the living room a cozy fireplace. A space in the center of the room was perfect for a large Christmas tree.

"Okay, since we decided to go shopping, I think we are ready to make a list of what we are going to buy" Jane announced to her husband.

"Wait, list? Is that really necessary?" Joe hesitated a little.

"I think it's, sir, for us to have a notion of expenses" she found that question strange "what exactly did you have in mind?"

"I thought of bringing home what we think is the most beautiful stuff" he tried to explain, with an embarrassed smile "not necessarily with something in mind."

"I see, it seems a lot more fun than my pragmatic way" Jane understood.

"We can do both together, no problem" Joe solved the question.

"Do you think it would work? How exactly?" she was intrigued.

"Well, make your list of ornaments and I choose what you find most beautiful of each item" he explained.

"But you will let me have an opinion on the ornaments too, won't you?" she knew so, but wanted to see Joe's reaction.

"Of course, let's do it together, shall we?" Joe made it clear, emphasizing his goodwill with a kiss on his wife's cheek.

So, they finally left their home unadorned, in order to come back and decorate it. Jane's list included lights, ornaments for the tree, garlands, socks, peppermints and of course, a tree in itself, that matter was last because of the space that the object would occupy in their car.

Meanwhile, in the same store, Edith Lee was trying to understand what was going on around her. Everything seemed to sport the colors red and green, with an occasional gold and white around it. After a long time trying to find an answer to her questions, she finally decided to ask for help.

"Daddy?" Edith pulled the hem of Gwilym's coat "can I say something?"

"Of course, my love, what happened?" He turned to her, reaching down to lower their height difference.

"Why is everything different? Why?" She looked questioningly at the people and merchandise in the store.

"You mean, the ornaments, the songs, the pines?" Gwilym wanted to know more specifically.

"Uh huh" confirmed his little girl.

"All this is because Christmas is coming" he explained with a cheerful laugh.

"And what is Christmas?" she still didn't understand.

"It's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus" Louisa explained patiently.

"Jesus? The same Jesus that we talk to before going to sleep?" Edith made the association "was he a baby one day?"

"Yes, it's a long and very beautiful story" Edith's father confirmed "we can tell you more when we get home."

"Okay" Edith, who liked stories, understood that her parents would need more time to explain her doubts and she would listen to them at home.

Louisa and Gwilym continued their shopping for ornaments, showing their daughter what caught her eye, seeing what she thought. In the meantime, Edith found some cribs. For her, they were cute dolls, but her parents liked the initiative. She watched to decide which one they liked best, until she was distracted by a noise that came from the corridor.

"I can't believe this!" Uncle Joe exclaimed, his surprise came from having found Louisa and Gwilym so suddenly around.

"How could we meet in such a big city by pure coincidence?" Gwilym replied to his friend.

"It must be the power of friendship" Louisa deduced with a smile "hi, guys, how are you?"

"We're doing fine, thanks" Jane replied "we came for Christmas shopping too."

"Purchase decorations, as for gifts, let's wait a little longer" Joe explained "and look who's here! Hi, Di, did you like the cribs too?"

Edith looked at her uncle, happy to see him, but confused by the term he used.

"I want the dolls!" affirmed the girl.

"Ah I want too" he laughed beside her "can we take a crib, Jane? It will look perfect on the coffee table."

"Or we can put it on the photo shelf like everyone else" she suggested, a little energetically "but we will take it, you choose the crib, but I choose where it will be."

"All right, Mrs. Mazzello, I surrender to your orders" he replied "uh, how about this one?"

He took the one-piece object, extremely colorful and full of details, the figures were all connected, while still having the Star on top.

"It's beautiful, I liked it" Jane smiled, approving.

"Choose yours, Edith" Joe encouraged his niece.

The little girl pondered a little until she chose one with the simple figures, made of wood. Her parents had the slight impression that the crib would become more of a toy than an ornament.

After shopping was over, the two families spent time together before saying goodbye, arranging when they could meet again and if that was possible before Christmas. Joe and Jane were able to agree on how to decorate the house and Gwilym and Louisa had Edith's help in this task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Christmas is still far, but it's a very important theme in the near future chapters.


	46. "Bo Rhap Girls"

Even with the end of the year coming, Rami and Lucy decided to prolong their visit to London, staying in the city for a long time, which gave her an idea. Leaving her boyfriend at ease and alone for a while, she went to the Lees' apartment, missing a little chat with Louisa.

It was early afternoon, Gwilym was out, taking an urgent call from the BBC. For the time being, neither he nor his wife knew exactly what the call was about, and so Louisa's curiosity accompanied her husband when she said goodbye to him. So, accustomed to this type of emergency, she kept looking after Edith, until Lucy arrived, keeping them company.

"Hi, what a surprise, please come in" Louisa received her, inviting her to enter.

"Hi, thank you, Lou" Lucy smiled and entered, then watching the little girl looking at her.

Louisa followed her friend's gaze and understood what had caught Lucy's attention. She approached her daughter.

"Do you remember Aunt Lucy, Di?" she asked.

"I think so" reflected the girl "hello, Aunt Lucy."

"Hi, Edith, how are you?" Lucy approached her, friendly and cordial.

"Yes" the little girl replied and managed to smile.

"Look, Lucy! I think you have a way with children" praised Mrs. Lee.

"Do you think so? I don't know, no ..." Lucy doubted a little of her own skills in this regard "but it's true that I quite like them."

"Yes, that can be seen" Louisa agreed "you already thought ... No, sorry, maybe my question is a little impolite ..."

"Ah yes" Lucy guessed what it was about "if I ever thought of being a mother? I think it would be more appropriate for me to get married before, but to be honest, I think the time for that, for me, hasn't yet come."

"Yeah, I understand you, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you" Louisa corrected her comment anyway.

"No, it's all right" Miss. Boynton was understanding "it's still something I think for the near future, but not now, I still need to enjoy this stage of the relationship that I am experiencing, but I admire you, you are a great wife and mother."

"Wow, thank you very much" Mrs. Lee even blushed at the compliment, letting her insecurity show a little "it's not an easy job, but I do my best."

"Believe me, your best is enough," Lucy said.

Louisa smiled with that confirmation, very grateful.

"Well, Lucy, before you arrived I was thinking of taking a walk in St. James with Edith, it would be really cool if you came with us" Mrs. Lee invited.

"I don't see why not, actually" Lucy had another idea "do you think Jane and Georgia can meet us there? I also really wanted to see them, I was planning on going to see them after your visit."

"Great idea, I believe that Jane is free now and Georgia's work ends just now" Louisa warned.

Soon after, she sent a message to Mrs. Mazzello and Miss. Deacon respectively, being happy with the positive response she received from them.

"Okay, Lucy, they will meet us there, only Gia will take a while, but she said she certainly will" Louisa confirmed.

She, Lucy and Edith then went to the agreed location, finding Jane almost immediately.

"Hi, Jane, what's up?" Louisa greeted her.

"Hi is eveything alright with you? It's good to see you again, Lucy.” The costume designer smiled.

"It's a pleasure to see you too" Lucy replied "I think we haven't seen each other since your wedding."

"It's true, it's been a long time" Jane realized, giggling when she finished speaking.

"And how are things going?" Lucy brought up the subject.

"Oh okay, between us it's okay, Joe is trying a new job at the BBC, which I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not" confessed Mrs. Mazzello.

"Why exactly, if I may ask?" Louisa didn't understand the question.

"Well, if Joe works in the same place that me he's able to distract me all the time and disturb the two of us" Jane explained in a good mood "that's how he got when we did "The Treasure of Tez", but we are quite professional."

The women laughed at what she said, while Georgia got to where they were, trying to understand what was going on.

"What's up, girls? I don't know what you're laughing at, but it would be nice if you told me" Georgia kept looking from one to the other for an answer, even to Edith.

"It's nothing, I was just talking about Joe's way, a little exaggerated at work, but in a good way" Jane said "how you're doing, Gia?"

"Everything is great" the youngest of the group, aside from Edith, smiled and finally showed them the box she had brought under her arm "this is for you."

She lifted the lid, revealing cupcakes, without much hesitation, they all took one.

"Thank you for thinking about us, you were very thoughtful" Lucy said.

"Well, it was nothing" Georgia shrugged "after a stressful day at work, all you need is a little candy."

"I agree" Louisa laughed.

"My congratulations on your internship, it's very nice to know that you are studying to be a screenwriter, as you wanted" Lucy praised.

"It was worth it, Lucy, but I'm not ready for stardom yet" Gia confessed, losing some of her enthusiasm "I kind of already live a kind of stardom, which is sometimes a little bad."

"You mean ... Invasive fans offending you for direct messages because you're an actor's girlfriend?" Jane guessed, speaking with fear.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about ..." Georgia confirmed "it happens more often than I would like to."

"I know how it is, this has happened to me a few times" Louisa said "I even tried to hide it from Gwilym, but he saw that there was something wrong, so I told him, and you know what he told me? That real fans support his relationship, those who criticize aren't real fans, if they were really, they would respect his decision, it helped me a lot."

"Yeah, Joe told me something similar, that I should ignore and not care what they think" Jane added.

"Even with me it happened, even though I am an actress too, even though I am used to this kind of message, it hurts nonetheless! reflected Lucy.

"I didn't say anything to Ben, do you know what he's like with insults? He is ashamed when I'm a little hard on him, even when I'm kidding! Georgia said "imagine how bad he can look and feel guilty about it."

"I know, but the best thing you have to do is show that it doesn't shake you and it's not his fault" Jane advised, then turned to Louisa and Lucy "you are the ones who have been in this ... "condition ". How exactly do they deal with that, you know? Famous husbands or boyfriends ..."

"Just like you said now," said Lucy.

"Well, I grew up with a person who had to deal with a situation like ours" Louisa spoke patiently "and seeing what she went through made me afraid for a long time, the same thing we are talking about, but you know what she told me? That what matters is the love we have with our loved ones, when it's strong and solid, nothing that comes from outside can shake it."

"Wow, this is ... Deep and fantastic ..." praised Georgia, impressed "who told you that?"

"My mother" Louisa replied, simply.

"Well, I think you had someone to take your wisdom from" Jane commented gratefully "it'd be great if we met more often for more advice."

"That's an excellent idea, let's do it" Lucy agreed with the idea.

"Yes Yes!" Georgia approved immediately.

"All right, I hope to continue to be able to give good advice" Louisa declared, agreeing with the idea.

They prolonged the conversation in the park for a while longer, it was incredible the harmony they had, feeling that they could also become a good group of friends. Parallel to the women most important to Queen members, there were the women most important to the boys who had played them. In a play on puns, they called themselves "Bo Rhap Girls".


	47. Guitar Meeting

Gwilym Lee was surprised that week in October with a call that came directly from the BBC's casting director. He was surprised and excited by the news, its meaning could have a lot of possibilities. Initially, his contract with Doctor Who was linked to just one season, and Gwilym felt that his participation in the series was over there. That changed as he arrived at the meeting with the director.

She immediately warned him that Chris Chibnall plus a team of writers was finishing that year's Doctor Who Christmas special and Terry would return to the series again. Gwilym, an enthusiastic Whovian and of course, needing to work, agreed on the spot, redoing his contract. The news cheered Louisa very much, who accompanied her husband reading his script statements at home, discovering something incredible with him.

"Is Twelve coming back too? I can't believe it!" said Mrs. Lee impressed.

"Wait, does that mean I'm going to work with Peter Capaldi?! This is unbelievable!" Gwilym added his astonishment and joy to those of his wife.

"You have to introduce me to him, please" Louisa asked, getting to hold his arm "when you can, of course."

"I promise to do that, my love," Gwil promised.

His excitement on the table reading day of the script was clear. It was a pleasure to see Jodie again, but she was also excited and apprehensive about the presence of the old Doctor.

"Peter, it's great to have this incredible opportunity to work with you" Chibnall told you when introducing you to the whole team "welcome back to Doctor Who!"

Excited clapping followed, and Gwilym and Jodie looked at Capaldi with a child's enthusiasm.

"Thanks Chris, thanks to each of you, I feel at home again" Peter said cordially to everyone.

While reading, despite her nervousness, Gwilym managed to do her best, especially during the various scenes she would share with Capaldi. At a certain point where the twelfth Doctor played his guitar, it was almost impossible for Gwilym not to remember his father-in-law.

With Brian still in mind, Gwil continued reading, and then the whole cast came face to face with a character who wasn't yet cast, who read his parts was Chibnall himself. So, they finished reading, taking an extra time to talk to each other.

"Peter, it's a great pleasure to meet you!" Gwilym went to Capaldi after Jodie had finished talking to him, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Oh my pleasure, Gwilym, I thought you were fantastic at reading, it's a beautiful script, isn't it?" Peter brought up the subject.

"Sure, I confess that I loved that part of the guitar" said Gwil "you know, it's really true, you're one of my favorite Doctors."

"Don't let Jodie know this, but I appreciate it" replied Peter "anyway, the Doctor is the same person, even with a different face."

"Yes, yes" Gwil agreed "but you know, I was happy that we will have a little Rocker Doctor, my father-in-law will love it, he is a fan of the series too!"

"Wait, who's your father-in-law?" Peter didn't really know the answer to that question.

"Ah ... Brian May ..." Gwilym scratched the back of the neck, a little embarrassed.

"Brian May, Queen guitarist Brian May? You're kidding ..." the older actor reacted in surprise.

"Yes, I married his daughter 3 years ago" Gwil explained.

"And if I'm not mistaken it was you who made Brian in the movie about Queen, now I'm noticing the similarity" Peter was more impressed "wait, is that how you met his daughter?"

"Well, it's a long story, and speaking of my wife, she would love to meet you, it would be the perfect occasion to talk more about how we met" Gwilym saw the opportunity arise and took advantage of it.

"Well, there would be no problem with me going to meet Mrs. Lee, but you also have to promise me that you will introduce me to Brian, I am also a big fan of him" Peter also asked.

"Don't worry, I think he will love meeting you too" Gwilym agreed.

So he was responsible for orchestrating this great meeting. Louisa was super excited to meet Peter Capaldi, but her husband still had another trick up his sleeve.

"He confessed that he is also a super fan of Brian and he wanted to meet him, so I thought of taking him to his parents' house by surprise" Gwil showed Louisa his plan "what do you think?"

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, agreeing with everything.

First, Gwilym did what she had promised Louisa and Peter, introducing each other.

"This is the lovely Louisa Lee, what a pleasure to see you finally" Peter was very nice.

"Oh Mr. Capaldi, this is fantastic ..." she was a little speechless "I mean, getting to know you, I really admire your work, your Doctor is one of my greatest heroes, and our daughter's favorite."

"Really? Gwilym hadn't told me that" Peter was delighted with that fact.

"Yes, she has a stuffed twelfth Doctor who she keeps taking it back and forth" Edith's father said about her.

After that first meeting, they went straight to the Mays' house, Brian and Chrissie were alone, waiting only for Lees.

"Hi, mom, dad" Louisa told them as soon as she came in "I hope they don't mind that I brought another friend of ours to dinner."

Chrissie and Brian were stunned to realize who it was.

"Peter Capaldi!" Mrs. May said in amazement.

"Good evening, I assume you're Mrs. May" Peter greeted her.

"Welcome to our home" Brian recovered from the shock and received him with open arms.

"For me it's a privilege to be at the home of one of my favorite guitarists " Peter declared, which made Brian smile, embarrassed by the compliment.

Soon Gwilym explained that he and Capaldi were working on the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, and also told how he had fallen in love with Louisa backstage on "Bohemian Rhapsody". Peter, for his part, praised Brian in every way possible, his ingenuity, his idea of building the Red Special, his solos. Since this was a musician's house, it didn't take long for Brian to show his beloved and esteemed Red Special first hand to Peter, who inspected it carefully.

"You could play something together" Louisa suggested, hoping that a good musical partnership would emerge.

"Yes, please show me the solo of "Bohemian Rhapsody", the one before the lyrical part" it was Peter's turn to behave as a fan "or "Hammer to Fall", or maybe the solo of "Brighton Rock"!"

"No!" Louisa, Gwilym and Chrissie said simultaneously, Brian rolled his eyes.

"You guys are not fun" murmured Dr. May, but in a good mood "they say it's very long, but Peter, you are also brilliant, let's see what we can create together."

Brian lent the actor one of his other guitars, and soon a creation came up with the two playing together. Louisa, Chrissie and Gwilym enjoyed the composition, and Brian, happy with what they had created, wrote everything down, not wanting to forget that unusual and fantastic meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the credit for the idea of Peter Capaldi and Brian meeting comes from my friend Rachel, I owed it to her for a long time, but anyway, we got to this part of the story. Thank you for reading!


	48. A special guest

Gwilym and the entire team responsible for Doctor Who, plus the people who were responsible for that year's Christmas special, continued the work, which included starting recording. Even with everything in place, like the sets and the production line, there was still a cast member missing, who Chibnall was really having a hard time casting with the casting director.

It was a character who played a small part in the special, a time lord who gave advice to the two versions of the Doctor, by Capaldi and Whittaker and Terry, Gwilym's character. Experiencing that situation, he remembered a promise, and even a little embarrassed, he decided to take a chance with the series producer.

"Uh ... Chris? You know this character from Gallifrey, I don't know if it would work, but ... once my father-in-law commented to me about doing a little part in the show" Gwilym suggested "you know, he's a big fan of the show and everything, and I think he fits with the character."

"Your father-in-law, Brian May?" the producer considered the suggestion "well, it's a short role for an eccentric old man, and well, like it or not, his father-in-law is somewhat eccentric for being a guitarist, he is famous, which would call a lot of attention to the special ... yeah Gwil, I think it can work, just let me talk to the casting team and we'll see."

"Thanks, Chris, I hope I helped you" Gwil replied, relieved.

A while later, it was Mrs. May who answered the BBC's curious call, whoever was on the line was looking for none other than her husband, about something that had nothing to do with Queen or Astrophysics. So she passed the call on to him. After Brian finished talking to the studio employee, he had become the most radiant man that Chrissie could imagine so far.

"That was good news, wasn't it?" she asked, wanting to know the reason for such a reaction.

"I will appear in Doctor Who, my love!" He hugged her and kissed her cheek, completely excited.

"Wait, what do you mean? Was it Gwilym? What exactly did they tell you, Bri?" Chrissie asked, being much calmer than her husband.

"They explained that I have to go to the recording studios tomorrow, they invited me to play a character in the Christmas special!" Brian explained.

"This is wonderful, darling, it was all you wanted," Chrissie commented, sharing his joy.

"Yeah, but I'm sure I owe it to Gwilym" Brian didn't forget his son-in-law.

The next day, he had confirmation that Gwil had really helped a little in his participation. Brian and Chrissie went to the studios, the couple was delighted to see everything, the sets that seemed real, plus the TARDIS inside, until Gwilym himself came to meet them.

"Hi, Brian, Mrs. May, it's so good to see you here!" he said excitedly.

"Likewise, Gwilym, and I have to thank you, Chibnall told me of your suggestion," said Brian.

"Ah yes" Gwil agreed "but I also had to keep my promise to you, the opportunity appeared and I tried my luck."

"I'm glad it worked out" Brian smiled.

"And I thank you for finally we can both take a look at the sets of Doctor Who, I wondered if this would be possible in any way, since our son-in-law worked on the series" Chrissie confessed "I mean, not wanting to abuse your good will."

"Oh don't worry, Mrs. May, I know you understand that not everything depends on me when it comes to bringing family and friends to visit the set, Louisa and the boys came once, but it was only a few times" Gwilym justified "anyway, I'm happy that you managed to come this time."

"Of course" she understood the whole situation.

Thus, Gwilym and his father-in-law prepared for the filming, Brian memorized his few lines, while Gwilym finished his characterization. His father-in-law then, after that first stage, went to try on the long, red and gold robes of the time lords, being helped precisely by Jane Mazzello. The costume designer, of course, had a little fan attack.

"Mr., Dr. May, in fact, I'm sorry" she fumbled a little while introducing herself "it's a pleasure to meet you, I really admire all of your work and Gwylim talks so much about you, wow, I can't believe you're here!"

"Ah Gwilym is a very kind man" Brian chuckled "but it's also a pleasure to meet you, you are Joe's wife, aren't you?"

"That's right, sir" she nodded while pinning his clothes with pins "he also tells me a lot about you and your bandmates.!

As their conversation continued, Jane became more comfortable, until they were interrupted by the warning that the recordings with Brian were about to start and he needed to be ready in at least 15 minutes. He and Jane hurried, she finished Brian's costume and so, everything was ready for the scene to be recorded. 

Brian took the character from the letter, concentrating on his lines and using a tone of voice that resembled Yoda. Gwilym maintained his professionalism, keeping the initial strangeness of playing with his father-in-law inside, keeping himself in the character. Peter and Jodie also performed with determination and precision, like the great actors they were. With it all over, it remained for Peter and Jodie to enjoy Brian's company, talking more with him.

"I had a very pleasant evening with your family and that little improvisation was great" Peter recalled.

"You played together? Ah that must have been really cool!" Jodie commented, finding it a shame to have lost this partnership "you saw that, didn't you, Gwil?"

"Yes, I did" he replied "and it was as epic as you can imagine!"

"Don't worry, Jodie, we can do it again another day" Brian even promised.

Gwilym thought it was a great possibility, he greatly admired Peter and Brian, and it would be great to see them playing together again.

At the end of the day, he said goodbye to everyone, Brian interrupted him for a little while.

"I don't know if I told you that, but your job is really cool!" praised his father-in-law.

"Ah Brian, thanks, and I think the same of yours too" Gwilym smiled.

"By the way, send a big kiss and hug to Lou and Edith" Brian finally asked.

"Leave it to me!" Gwilym promised and then they separated, each taking their own way.

Now, we just had to wait for the episode to be ready, to see what the final result of the work of everyone who did another episode of Doctor Who would look like.


	49. A funny dinner

Edith held her mother's hand tighter as they walked into a different place, a place she had never seen before. It was a huge house, its facade painted a light yellow, a color that Edith liked very much. Seeing this, she became calmer with that house, she thought it must be a good place because it was painted yellow.

Suddenly Louisa and Gwilym stopped and Edith kept an eye on the door, as did her parents, waiting to be answered. When the little girl saw who was at the door, she was totally relieved and happy, it was just Uncle Joe, who looked at her and gave her a big smile, the typical way he did every time he met Edith.

"Hi, guys, let's get in, please" he asked Gwilym and Louisa.

Then, without warning, he took Edith on his lap, who laughed in surprise, pleased by the gesture of her uncle, who also kissed her cheek.

"Uncle Joe!" said Edith, looking directly at him.

"Hi, Di, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Uncle Joe" she confirmed "what is this place?"

"Oh Dad and Mom didn't tell you? This is where I live,” explained Joe.

"Oh ..." made the little girl in a cute way, understanding everything.

"Joe, are they here now?" shouted Jane from somewhere in the house.

"Just the Lees love, still missing Rami and Lucy and Ben and Gia!" Joe shouted back.

Gwilym and Louisa understood well what the couple was going through, in a family rush to prepare a dinner to receive their friends. Without hesitating, Louisa left the boys with Edith and went to Jane's rescue.

"Hello, Jay, how are you here?" appeared Mrs. Lee at the kitchen door.

"Oh, Louisa, hello!" Jane turned to her a little breathlessly "everything is fine, I just put the souffle in the oven, I was just worried about not getting ready in time."

"Don't worry, we all understand the delay, if it takes too long" Louisa smiled understandingly "don't worry."

"Okay, thank you" Jane thanked.

While Louisa helped her friend as needed and she and her family settled in with friends, more people arrived at the Mazzellos home, this time it was Ben and Gia. She was excited to see Joe and Jane's house, it wasn't the first time she had come there. She had visited the couple with her family as soon as they moved there and Ben, being one of Joe's closest friends in London, had already visited him and Jane.

Georgia was excited by the visit, imagining how good it would be to see the friends she had made, especially Jane, with whom she had started to have contact due to their work on the BBC and Lucy, with whom she had started to talk and get close.

Gwilym answered the door for Joe, who along with Jane finished setting the table, meanwhile, the Lees took responsibility for attending the guests as everyone arrived.

"Hi, Gwil, good to see you!" Georgia said, shaking his hand.

"Hi, Georgia, Ben, welcome, even if the house isn't mine," he joked.

"Okay, Gwil, good evening to you too" Ben replied "but where is Jane and Joe?"

"Here guys, don't fear and come closer" the owner of the house invited you to enter "hi, Ben and Gia, good to see you!"

"Likewise, Joe," Georgia replied while Ben gave his friend a smile.

"It's all ready, but we still need to wait for Lucy and Rami" Jane made sure to make it clear, she didn't want any hurried to spoil the dinner, eating ahead of time and probably making Rami and Lucy upset.

Mrs. Mazzello didn't have to worry about it anymore, the missing guests arrived, and basically, Lucy and Rami were the reason that Jane had the idea of inviting everyone to come to her house. All of this was justified because the two would soon return to New York again, and Jane wanted to spend some more time with them before they left.

"Hi guys, welcome to our home" Jane greeted them personally "feel free."

"Thank you, Jane" Lucy thanked.

"We really wanted to see your house, so thanks for the invitation " Rami added.

This gave Joe an idea to show his old friend his home. As the rest of the guests already knew the place, Rami and Lucy accompanied him on a small exhibition. They were delighted with the place, admired by the love of Jane and Joe being so profound that it made him decide to live in London.

"And have you got used to England or do you still miss home?" Lucy wanted to know, sharing some of that feeling because of her wanderings between London and New York.

"Now, let's say yes, you know that I came here during my period of mourning and I found a real home here, because of Lou, Gwil and Ben, so that made things easier in a certain way"said Joe "Jane also misses home, which reminds me of something special."

"What exactly?" Rami was suspicious "I hope it's not a bad idea to disappoint your wife."

"No, no, nothing like that, it's tickets to Perth, to spend some time there too" Joe explained "I may have just moved in, but I think Jane misses her the most, because she spent a lot more time away from your homeland than me."

"Ah Joe, that's very cute and thoughtful of you!" Lucy exclaimed, admired by the gesture.

"Yes, I know, thanks, but remember, it's a surprise" he reinforced this detail "speaking of Jane, we better go to dinner soon, she's quite anxious about it."

Her friends understood the hostess's haste and soon joined the rest of the group, enjoying Mrs. Mazzello's souffle, filling her with praise for her culinary skills.

"Oh guys, I'm so glad you like it" she even laughed with relief "I even thought you would think it was horrible."

"Well, don't worry, Jay, as my mom used to say, if you did your best, it's very difficult for something to go wrong" Louisa added.

"I had an idea to get rid of worry!" Georgia proposed, with all eyes on her "first of all, everyone here is a Doctor Who fan, right?"

"But is that a question to ask us, respecially us?" Gwilym turned to her with restrained indignation, which was more on Louisa's face than on him.

"I was practically born a fan of Doctor Who" Mrs. Lee made a point of saying.

"I will only answer yes after this kind of radical response from our colleagues" Rami said, half-heartedly.

"Gia touched their soft spot" Ben shrugged.

"Very well, my proposal is to make a little game" Georgia continued "I will make a questionnaire about Doctor Who for each of the couples."

"Wait, that includes you and Ben, right?" Lucy wanted to know, ensuring that Georgia wouldn't get away with her own challenge.

"Sure!" Miss. Deacon said with certainty, and even made a point of looking at Ben back, her boyfriend just gulped "without further ado, let's go!"

She quickly picked up her cell phone and opened the questionnaire, turning straight to Gwilym and Louisa Lee, the most expert on the subject and competitive for that. Louisa won the first question, which was about who had met Doctor Who first, it was impossible for Gwilym to win this one, as she herself said, she knew the series since she was a child.

The two had already cried in episodes, which made them tie the issue, Gwilym won the question of being addicted to the modern series, Louisa had marathoned the series more times, neither of them had caused confusion on the internet because of the series. The two watched the episodes as soon as they were released, Gwilym had to admit that his wife knew much more about the series about him, which he did with pride and admiration and Louisa unanimously won over the issue of having watched more of the classic series.

Joe and Jane tied most of the issues, with only difference in how much of the classic series they had seen, she had seen more. For Rami and Lucy, he answered more questions positively than she did, winning the dispute, which caused friends to charge amicably that she watches more of the series, which she pledged to do. In the case of Ben and Gia, they almost drew close, it turned out that after a crazy calculation, they decided that Ben had marathon the series more than she did.

"Well, guys, I think I watched more Star Wars than Doctor Who, it's my mistake, but I promise to correct that" it was the excuse of Georgia, who also pledged to see more of the series, along with Lucy.

In the end, no matter how much they had watched, that competition was just a way to have fun, to enjoy the friendship that had been born between that group of people, being companions and close to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write the couples together and that idea came up. The questionnaire came from a meme I saw on Instagram, I wondered how the characters would respond and then I put it in the chapter. Well folks, the next chapter is the last one, I know it's sad but I'll talk more about it there. See you later, bye!


	50. Christmas with Doctor Who

Jane got up first than Joe that morning, it was to be expected that this would happen, after all, it was Christmas morning, and like children eager for gifts, Mrs. Mazzello was also very anxious, but not to get presents, in fact, she didn't care much if she got presents or not, her concern was focused on where they would spend Christmas.

Gwilym had invited the London Mazzello family to spend Christmas with his family, or rather Louisa's family, which, of course, was also Gwil's family. Joe, being close to Brian since the production of "Bohemian Rhapsody", accepted the invitation immediately; Jane, somewhat embarrassed at the time, was unable to articulate that she felt a little uncomfortable with the invitation. Not that she didn't like the Lees, on the contrary, she loved Louisa and Gwilym from bottom of her heart, as if they were siblings to her, but Jane didn't know Louisa's family well, even though she had some contact with Brian in the recording of the Christmas special, it wasn't close enough to spend Christmas with the guitarist's family.

She let time go by and didn't say anything to Joe, she believed that if she prepared herself psychologically for the visit everything would be fine, but now that the day had come, she was still a nervous wreck. For now, he decided to focus on making his breakfast.

It didn't take long for Joe to wake up, very willing and excited, with a big smile reserved for Jane, glad it was Christmas and able to spend it with her. When she noticed him approaching, she turned to greet him, giggling for realizing what he was wearing.

"Good morning, love, and Merry Christmas" Joe ignored her little gesture of amusement.

"Good morning, Merry Christmas" she replied, approaching and kissing his cheek.

"Now that we have spoken, may I ask why exactly you were laughing?" He narrowed his eyes and held his waist, playing with his wife.

"Where did you get that sweater? I'm certainly it's not me the one who bought or sewed it" Jane looked at the blue and red sweater, with a strange reindeer design on the print.

"Ah I bought it around, when I went to buy your gift, by the way" Joe revealed "I thought it was really cool, because it's just ridiculous."

"Okay, I already expected you to do that" Jane understood "but you mentioned gift, what exactly did you buy? I guess it wasn’t very expensive at all, because ... well, I was a little doubtful about what to give you as a gift."

"Well, I think you'll be surprised, in many ways" was what Joe said at last, with an air of mystery, giving way to his hunger, going to share breakfast with his wife.

After they tidied up the kitchen together, another concern came to Jane.

"We can't get there empty-handed, I mean, at the Mays' house, I was thinking about making a dessert, to thank them for the invitation too" she warned her husband "this will take some time then, let Lou and Gwil know we can be late."

"Okay, and Jay?" Joe waited a little while for her to turn to him "no need to worry about lunch, or how to behave at the Mays' house, I understand your nervousness, I still stay close to the Queen members, but don't worry, I'll be with you, and Lou and Gwil too."

"Thank you for understanding" she smiled and gave him a quick kiss of gratitude.

"Always" Joe replied, feeling better about seeing his wife better.

Jane spent the next few hours working meticulously on a pudding, just as she worked hard to create a new outfit, concerned with every speck, hoping not to disappoint the Mays and to live up to their invitation.

While Mrs. Mazzello was finished, Gwilym, Louisa and Edith were on their way to Mrs. Lee's parents house. As always, it was a pleasure to go there, especially on Christmas Day, to be able to see everyone and spend the day together, but on that occasion, Gwilym was more of an apprehensive guest.

"I hope everyone enjoys the episode" Gwil confessed to his wife his distress.

"Of course they will like it, it's the family series, remember? Remember the pride that everyone felt when they first saw you in Doctor Who? This will happen again" Lou assured "and besides, you have two advantages."

"Um, which ones, exactly?" he was curious.

"It's a Christmas episode, there's no way you don't like it, they're always very exciting" Louisa said "and my father will be very happy to appear in Doctor Who."

"Yeah, that's true, you're absolutely right, my love" Gwilym laughed at that full explanation.

A while later, they had arrived at the house in Barnes, most of the family was already there.

"Hi, guys, and Merry Christmas to everyone" Louisa greeted, speaking for her and her husband and daughter.

Rory and Isaac came to greet them, then Jimmy appeared, and finally Brian and Chrissie.

"Sorry about the delay dear, I was helping your mother" Brian justified himself to Louisa.

"I figured, Mom is overworking again, isn't she?" deduced the daughter.

"It's a necessity, Louisa May Lee, now that you are a mother and receive friends at home, you understand precisely my attitudes" your mother corrected her slightly.

"Don't be offended, Mrs. May, what Lou meant is that we are very grateful for your efforts" Gwilym fixed.

!Don't worry, Gwil, they're just kidding" Brian assured and mother and daughter exchanged a reassuring smile.

The little discussion / joke was interrupted by more visits that had just arrived. Rory got up and went to see Joe and Jane Mazzello.

"Hello, please come in," said Mrs. Taylor-May "welcome and Merry Christmas."

"Hello, Rory" Joe said first "this is Jane, my wife, and Jay, this is Rory Taylor-May."

"I'm Jimmy's wife and Roger's daughter, it's a pleasure to meet you" Rory was nice as always, which made Jane lighter.

"Hi, I ... nice to meet you too" replied Mrs. Mazzello, extending the tray to her "I brought pudding for dessert, I hope you like it."

"Ah yes, thank you very much, come on, let's go in" Rory opened the way for the couple to enter with her.

Gwilym and Louisa soon went to greet their friends, Jane was surrounded by the Mays' friendliness and warmth, and so, after wishing them a Merry Christmas, she no longer had to worry, she felt comfortable and welcome.

Conversations were soon interrupted again when Emily and Justin arrived, bringing someone else to the festivity. Little Oliver Brian Alford had been born last November, on a cold afternoon, but bringing a lot of heat to his parents. His first name had been chosen by Justin and the second, Emily had insisted that it be a tribute to her father, that his second grandson be named after his paternal grandfather. Ollie still had little hair and clear eyes and at the moment, he wasn't too worried about the hustle and bustle around him, he just kept trying to sleep, which didn't last long. Soon, the boy woke up crying.

"No, no, my love, it's okay, Ollie" his mother tried to calm him down.

It was a long moment before Emily managed to calm Oliver down again, the boy became curious when his father appeared over his mother's shoulder and, it seemed, seeing the two left Ollie calm and at peace. Jane, even though she was a discreet guest, couldn't fail to notice the mother's care for her son and how Emily and Justin knew exactly what to do to make their little boy more comfortable. Mrs. Alford, an observer, also noticed Jane's gaze on them and thought of something.

"Would you like to hold him, Jane?" Emily offered.

"Oh no, I don't know, I mean, he got so calm now, I don't want to make him nervous, he just got calm" Mrs. Mazzello justified herself, but despite her apprehensions, she wanted to hold Oliver, not knowing exactly why.

"Don't worry Jane, now that he's fine, he won't be surprised" Justin assured and Jane decided to venture out.

"Okay" she accepted, taking her mother's boy as gently as possible.

Jane froze, just watching Oliver, afraid to do something wrong. When she saw that everything was going well, she relaxed. To assure her even more, the baby gave her a smile, which she returned, very surprised and happy.

"See, Jay? Even Ollie likes you, because liking you is the easiest thing in the world" her husband commented.

"Thanks, Joe" even blushing, she made a point of thanking.

After lunch, without further distractions, the eyes turned to the television, the Christmas special had just started. The story followed Terry's life after abandoning his trips with the Doctor, but still, he hadn't gotten rid of the timelady so easily. He was visited by the 12th Doctor on Christmas Day, in a confused and strange way, in which Terry was having trouble understanding that that grumpy old rocker was a version of his friend's past.

The two embark on a mind-boggling trip where they meet the Doctor and end up in Gallifrey, where they meet the character of Brian, Telewayks, or Tele, as he insisted on being called, an old rebel sage, who also had the love of rock in common with Capaldi's Doctor; how he had discovered rock, a rhythm created on Earth, was a mystery that Tele insisted on maintaining. After a lot of emotions with Terry and the Doctor making peace, the episode ended with an unusual duet, Brian and Peter as Telewayks and the Doctor played a half metal version of "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" by The Beatles. Still with many guitar solos, the song kept its cute essence.

Edith, who was attentive to the episode, recognized the song immediately, it was a song that her parents used to put on for her to hear, and without ceremony, she started singing along with the television, recognizing her grandfather and her favorite doctor. Brian, who was now in the room, was quick as always and filmed the little girl singing, it was a very cute moment to be missed.

"Look at that, Gwilym, she is so beautiful!" said Louisa, admired by her daughter.

"Sure she is, a perfect fan got that from us" commented Gwilym, approaching Edith.

Close to each other, father and daughter continued to sing the song, with a smile on their lips as they did so. Louisa joined them, so happy and grateful to have her family there. There was no one who didn't feel the warmth and happiness of the moment, there was no better place to spend Christmas, close to family and friends, celebrating how many joys, like the one now, that life had brought to each of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we have reached the end of yet another PODC story. First of all I would like to thank God and you who read and follow my story of this universe. You have given me great strength, more than you can imagine, in all of my writing process. Thank you very much!!!
> 
> So, I have to be honest with you about something, this was supposed to be the last PODC story, I was going to end Moments on Instagram too, because I feel like I've already explored a lot of the stories and characters and ended the story in a good point of the narrative. But well, the appeal of some readers sympathized me and I decided to continue the story for a while longer, taking advantage of the ideas that my friend Rachel and I debated some time ago. But anyway, here's the sad part:
> 
> I will work on this new story after I finish "The Duchess's Tale", which is my other Queen story that takes place in another alternative universe, so you will still have a story with the same characters to follow.
> 
> The other bad news is that this new story is definitely going to be my last PODC story. As I said, I feel that I have already explored a lot of this universe and that it's already more than established. I feel the time has come to explore new types of stories and narratives. I will never forget you and the friendship that I believe arose between the readers and me. Well, that's it for now guys, see you in "The Duchess's Tale" and my other stories.
> 
> I can only thank you very, very, very much, for everyone who read and followed this and my other PODC stories. This series was very important for me, it helped me in several aspects and I just have gratitude for you who were also part of it all. Thank you very much and see you next time!


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